Truths and falsehoods
by AA Addict
Summary: Phoenix has taken on a brand new case! The defendant's Iris, the prosecutor's Franziska, and the victim... is Viola Cadaverini! Please read! Rated a k , because it's not exactly for kids, and not exactly that violent! Please read and review!
1. Chapter 1

"Nick, I'm HUNGRY! What do we have to eat?" Maya moaned at me. I swear, that girl's appetite is never satisfied!

"Nothing! You'll just have to go hungry for once!" I replied. Pearls glared at me. Uh oh, this doesn't look too good…

"Mr. Nick! Mystic Maya needs her food to train, and she needs to train because she's the master of Kurain! Hey, I rhymed! Trucy, I rhymed! Trucy, could you make Mr. Hat use that rhyme in his act? Pretty please?" Pearls said. We've completely gone off topic, but Pearls didn't forget to slap me. Jeez, that kid can pack a punch! There's a law against child abuse, what about adult abuse?

"Well, let's ask Mr. Hat, shall we?" Trucy said.

"Yes, yes, Mr. Hat!" Pearls and Maya shouted in unison, their faces all eager.

"Hello, my friends! We meet again! Ah, here's Pearl, my favourite child, who likes her curry mild! Oh, but look who's next to her! It's the dashing young girl Maya, who needs to train because she's the Master of Kurain!" 'Mr. Hat' said, flatteringly. It's actually Trucy talking in a deep voice. I didn't know she was capable of it!

"Oh, Mr. Hat used my rhyme! See that, my rhyme's good! Yay!" Pearls cheered.

"Hello, my good friend Phoenix Wright. In court you always win your case, with your hair that looks like a mace!" Mr. Hat 'complimented', and insulted, me.

"HOLD IT! Trucy! I'm your father! You should be polite to me! Plus, if you're going to compare my hair to anything, compare it to a hedgehog! Not a mace! Case closed, Your Honour!" I pointed out. Maya was stifling giggles, which caught me as odd.

"Why are you laughing?" I asked.

"Well, when you pointed out those facts, you acted like you were in a court proceeding!" she burst out laughing. Pearls started laughing too, as did Trucy and eventually, me. Just to join in! Otherwise, I didn't see what was so funny!

"Well, back to the point. Where are we eating today?" Maya asked, grinning.

**A/N-Thanks for reading my story! Reviews are welcome, praising or criticizing. Update's almost immediately!**


	2. Chapter 2

Today's my birthday! I'm not going to tell anyone though. Let's see if they remember…

The post box clattered. I always get excited when I get post, because usually I get letters from past clients. The letters give me a warm glow inside, because the letters are full of talk about the life I helped them maintain by defending them. I always defend the innocent till the very end. I believe in my client, and I think that's what helps me in court. Mia, Maya's sister and my boss, taught me that. Her motto was 'In a court of law, your greatest weapon is your belief' and I've continued that from the day she was killed. Anyway, back to the post.

"Maya, could you go get the post please?" I asked.

"You go Nick, I'm watching the Steel Samurai! It's the climax! The Steel Samurai has just found the Evil Magistrate, and they're about to have a big fight!" Maya pleaded.

"Okay, I'll get it, but then your breakfast will burn…" I teased.

"Okay, okay, you win!" Maya huffed to the door. Then I noticed something. Pearls wasn't downstairs drawing! And Trucy wasn't practicing her magic tricks! What's happened to them? Maya came back with two handfuls of post.

"Maya, where's Pearls and Trucy?" I asked, a bit worried. Maya laughed at my face.

"Nick, we all went to bed at 2 o'clock in the morning! You and me are older, so we don't need as much sleep! But poor Trucy and Pearly need loads of sleep, so DON'T WAKE THEM UP!" Maya warned.

"Alright, I hear you. Can I have the post please?" I asked. She put it in my hands and my hands almost dropped off!

"Okay, let's see. Bill, bill, bill," I yawned, chucking them to the side.

"Look Maya! A letter from Iris! Let's see what it says." I said excitedly. I had a back story with Iris, so I was eager to know what had happened since that incident at Hazakura Temple.

"Read it out then Nick!" Maya said eagerly.

'Dear Phoenix

How are you? I've just come out of the detention centre, and Bikini welcomed me with a giant roast! I thank you all for coming to visit me in the detention centre, I needed some moral support. How's Maya? I feel really sorry for her. Her mother had been killed and Maya had been attacked. Now that I know that she's my younger cousin, I feel protective of her. Make sure she's always safe, and lives a nice long life. How's Pearl feeling? She's my younger sister, so it's natural I feel protective. I hope she doesn't still feel responsible for what happened. It was my mother's fault, she used Pearl! Though it was partially my fault as well.

I've got to thank you for defending me, Phoenix. If I had been found guilty my life would've been over. But it's unfortunate that Mr. Godot had killed Mystic Misty. He was willing to sacrifice himself to protect Maya. Anyway, thank you. I also thank Mr. Edgeworth for filling in for you as my lawyer. I have a lot of people to thank. I'll be spending this week writing thank you letters! Any chance you could give me Mr. Edgeworth's address? No point in writing letters without addresses!

Please reply soon, I'm looking forward to your letter. Don't forget to let the others write in it!

From

Iris'

"It's so nice to hear from Iris! At least now I know I have two members of family who aren't trying to kill me!" Maya joked, though her joke was true. Dahlia Hawthorne, Maya's cousin and Iris' twin wanted to kill Maya to get revenge on Mia, and Morgan Fey, Pearls' mother, wants Maya dead so that Pearls can be the next Master. So basically, Maya's got loads of death threats!

"Huh? What's this?" Maya asked.

"Give it here, let's see!" I demanded.

'Dear Mr. Wright

I am writing to ask you to be my daughter's lawyer. Her name is Iris Hawthorne. I believe you have met her before, and have defended her before. She is the suspect for the murder of Viola Cadaverini. She was arrested just yesterday. I know she is innocent. I have come to you because you defended Iris successfully last time, and you are thought to be the best defense attorney in Los Angeles. So do an innocent girl a favour and prove her innocent! I'm putting Iris' life in your hands, Phoenix Wright.

Sister Bikini'

"Eh? I don't get it! We just got a letter from Iris! Don't you think she would tell us if she was arrested?" I queried.

"Nick, check the date Iris put on her letter!" Maya urged. I read the top of the letter, and above where it said 'Wright and co. Law Offices', Iris had put 16/04/16.

"How did we only get the letter today? Today's the 26th, and on the envelope there's clearly a first class stamp!" Maya exclaimed, annoyed.

"I think someone kept this letter to find out about Iris' movements. I think the person who kept this letter is our killer." I mused. Suddenly I heard footsteps coming down the stairs. Somehow, I think we were too loud.

"Come on Mr. Nick! Let's go visit Iris at the detention centre!" Pearls urged as soon as she came into the room.

"Come on Phoenix! This Iris girl sounds like she's already on good terms with you guys! We've got to save her!" Trucy urged. Alright, down to the detention centre!


	3. Chapter 3

20 minutes later, we arrived at the detention centre. I don't have a driver's license, so my legs are aching! Plus, Pearls was really tired so I let her sit on my shoulders. BIG mistake. Anyway, the good news is that we're finally here.

"Hey, this is the detention centre. Before you go in, tell me who you want to see." The officer said.

"We're here to see my big sister Iris! I can't wait!" Pearl exclaimed.

"Okay, let's see. As soon as you go through those doors, turn right and go to the third window down. I think she'll be pleased to see you. Frankly, I don't think that girl has it in her to commit a murder." The officer shook his head.

"Alright then, let's go!" Trucy marched forward. I think she's excited to meet another person of my history. When we got to Iris' window her eyes lit up at the fact that she had guests.

"Hi Iris!" we all chorused.

"Hi Phoenix, Maya and Pearl. It's really nice of you to come. Forgive me for asking, but who are you?" Iris asked Trucy.

"I'm Trucy, Phoenix's adopted daughter and magician! Daddy, Pearl and Maya have talked a lot about you. You sound nice!" Trucy had already given her opinion on Iris, and they've only seen each other for five minutes!

"You've given me the opinion that you're…smart, loyal, kind and funny! I think you and me could be friends. Your traits are just what I look for in a friend! My name's Iris Hawthorne/Fey. I've been suspected of murder once before, and Phoenix was my lawyer then, but I was found innocent. Now I'm the prime suspect in a murder once again. Please say you'll be my lawyer!" Iris begged.

"Of course I'll defend you. It's not like I have a choice!" I assured.

"Yay, Mr. Nick's defending my sister!" Pearl cheered.

"Don't worry Iris, with Nick defending you, you'll be proven innocent beyond a shadow of a doubt!" Maya reassured.

"Yeah yeah, I can lose you know." I said, embarrassed.

"The only time you lost was when your client was actually guilty. Then you tried to make him found guilty! I don't know how that counts as losing!" Maya pointed out.

"I'd rather not remember that case. EVER." I cast a threatening look at Maya. She got the point and was silent.

"Right, okay Iris. To solve your case we'll need all the details you have about the murder, if you have any. Capiche?" I asked.

"Okay. The murder of Viola Cadaverini happened near that French restaurant, Tres Bien. She was killed with a pistol. It was really dark, I think it was 12 o'clock. I had come here because Sister Bikini needed some cooking ingredients urgently, because we had customers coming, and with her bad back, she couldn't get them, so I went. As I was walking past Tres Bien this person dropped something into my hand. My purse had fallen, so with the hand holding the gun, I attempted to pick it up. As I was bending down I accidentally pulled the trigger and obviously shot a bullet. I screamed when I shot it. Unfortunately for me, the owner of Tres Bien saw me shoot and heard me scream, so he immediately phoned the police. My fingerprints are probably on the pistol too. That's all the information I have. I hope it's useful to you in your investigation for the truth." Iris said sorrowfully. I can't see any Psyche-Locks, so she must be telling the truth.

"Thanks for that information Iris. I'll do whatever's in my power (and allowed in court) to prove you innocent. Well, we'll be going now to investigate. Bye Iris, see you later!" I said cheerily.

"Bye Iris, see you soon…out of the detention centre!" the others called. I smiled encouragingly at Iris. I remembered something Mia had said.

'A lawyer is someone who smiles no matter how bad it gets.'


	4. Chapter 4

"Right, okay guys. Where-" I was cut off by Maya.

"Do we look like guys to you? Trucy? Pearly? Are we guys, or girls?" Maya asked with a (failed) indignant look on her face.

"GIRLS!" Trucy and Pearls chorused with cheeky smiles on their faces.

"Alright, alright. Okay GIRLS, where should we investigate first?" I asked, annoyed, but smiling.

"Tres Bien, of course! Let's talk to the owner!" Trucy said, like it was obvious. I sighed. I really did not want to pay another visit to that guy.

"I think I should go home. I've got a couple of things to do." Maya piped up.

"What could you possibly need to do that's more important than investigating?" I inquired.

"Oh, this and that. Nothing special." she said, but as soon as she finished speaking ELEVEN psyche-locks appeared! This is going to be one tough secret to crack!

"What's with that look Nick?" Maya asked me.

"Oh, nothing!" I dismissed.

"Okay, bye then!" Maya called. We waved back to her, then made the long trek to Tres Bien. Pearls got tired again so she had to sit on my shoulders _again_, which resulted in my shoulders aching _AGAIN_. Oh well, at least it made sure Pearls wouldn't complain. Almost as soon as we got in, a waitress greeted us. Actually, she looked familiar…

"Hello, sirs and madams! Where would you-oh! I didn't realize it was you, Mr. Wright!" the waitress said. It took me a minute to realize who the waitress actually was. She was Maggey Byrde, my friend and twice time client!

"Oh hi Maggey! I didn't realize it was you! How's your life been after that incident?" I asked her. The first time I defended her she was a police officer, and had been accused for the murder of her boyfriend, Dustin Prince. The second time I defended her she was a waitress at Tres Bien, and she was accused of the murder of Glen Elg. She was fired from the police force due to that incident, so luckily she wasn't fired from Tres Bien.

"Who're these people with you, Mr. Wright?" Maggey asked.

"I'm Trucy, Phoenix's adoptive daughter and magician extraordinaire!" Trucy introduced herself.

"My name's Pearl. I'm Mystic Maya's little cousin and I help Mr. Nick when Mystic Maya's not here!" Pearl said, excited at meeting a new person who she knew she could trust as I knew her and Trucy was eager to introduce herself.

"Okay, so guys, what will it be? The Twin-T special, or how about a nice cup of coffee?" Maggey asked. It was clear she was determined to do a good job.

"Actually, we're not here to eat and relax. There was a murder outside this restaurant the day before yesterday. Jean Armstrong was the one who phoned the police, so we want to have a talk with him. Is he in the restaurant at this moment?" I explained.

"Yeah, if you just go into the kitchen he should be there. If he tells you to get out say Maggey Byrde sent you in. I don't care if I lose my job now, Armstrong's cut my salary so much after the murder of Glen Elg that even Gumshoe earns more than me!" Maggey said, annoyed.

"Thanks Maggey!" Trucy and me said.

"Thanks nice waitress lady!" Pearl thanked. We made our way into the kitchen, and sure enough, Jean Armstrong was cooking lobster with some condiments. It didn't look very appetizing. Then he spotted us.

"Bonjour! You are ze Mister Lawyer, non? Who are zese people with you?" Jean simpered. Seriously, this guy ANNOYS me silly. But we need information from him, so I guess I'll have to talk to him.

"Hello, Mr. Armstrong. Yes, I am Phoenix Wright, a lawyer. This girl with the top hat is my adoptive daughter Trucy, and NO, she doesn't want a job, thank you!" Jean Armstrong's face fell.

"And this is Pearl. She's my best friend's-" I started, before Pearls cut in.

"And he's Mystic Maya's special someone!" Pearl said excitedly. I groaned. She's DETERMINED that she's right, and every time we meet someone new she has to spurt that out.

"Anyway, Pearl is my best friend Maya's little cousin. Right, Mr. Armstrong. We believe that you were the witness to a murder the day before yesterday. If our assumption is correct, we need all the information you have. Okay, Mr. Armstrong?" I asked rather firmly.

"So you are investigating that murder, non? Oui oui, I shall tell you all ze details I know. After zat case I know I need not hold secrets from you. I shall tell you now I did not know the victim. Zat night, I was cleaning the kitchen, non? Then I looked out of the kitchen window. But what I saw was truly horrific! I saw a girl point her gun at someone and fire! I heard a blood-curdling scream and then next minute, silence. I immediately phoned the police, non? Oh la la, that was a scene I never wish to see again! Zat is all the information I have. Could you get out now please? I'm closing up the kitchen now, it is 10 o'clock, oui? Au revoir!" Jean Armstrong pushed us out of the door, quite firmly. Just as he waved to us, two psyche-locks appeared. So much for not keeping secrets from me! I decided to leave them for later. My back killed after he pushed us! Maggey was busy helping another customer, so we called 'Bye!' to Maggey and left.

**A/N- Yes, I did. I included the horror known as Jean Armstrong. Reviews are welcome!**


	5. Chapter 5

"That guy weirded me out. I thought he was a girl at first…" Trucy commented.

"I got the same feeling when I first met him Truce." I sighed.

"Mr. Nick? That man was strange…" Pearls said uncertainly. I nodded at her to show I agreed. It was quite dark, so I made the way home instead of investigating the crime scene.

"Alright, you girls go inside whilst I put the bins back. It's cold out here." I ushered them inside and put the bins away. Luckily today they had also cleaned the bins, so no spider webs or spiders were on the bins. I suddenly remembered that today was my birthday, and no one had remembered. Doesn't matter too much, but I'll tease Maya about it! I went inside. All the lights were off. Odd, I thought. Pearl hates the dark. Maybe she's gone to bed and Trucy's practicing one of her in the dark magic tricks. Wouldn't surprise me. I went into the living room and turned the light on.

"SURPRISE!"

I was startled. Balloons were floating in the air, banners were all around saying 'Happy birthday! Nick!' I think Maya wrote that on. On my desk there was a giant three-tier cake instead of all my papers and bills. I looked around and saw they were next to Charley, Mia's potted plant (that I'm now taking care of) who was decorated with streamers. Loads of people were here too. People who I expected were here, like Maya, Pearl, Trucy, Apollo, Lotta, Gumshoe and Larry. But a few people who I didn't expect were here. Edgeworth, who was smoothing down his jacket after being pulled out by Maya for the surprise. Godot, otherwise known as Diego Armando, was here as well. I found that odd because he was found guilty of murder. He's not a criminal though. He has a good heart. Franziska Von Karma was here too! I have to say that surprised me the most. It looked like she was having a good time though, showing Maya and Pearls how to use a whip. I think Maya invited a few of her Steel Samurai fanatic friends, like Cody Hackins and Penny Nichols. I have to say, Maya did a good job.

"So? How do you like it Nick? This is why I had to come back instead of investigating! I got Mr. Godot, sorry, Mr. _Armando_, out of jail for today to celebrate your birthday with us! I also brought Edgeworth, but he's not really a party person. Maybe he'll play the Wii with us, Franziska and Mr. Armando agreed to. I brought Franziska because she can be nice when she's in a good mood. I brought Cody and Penny because I wanted to. So, how about we play the Wii? I've already shown Mr. Armando, Edgeworth and Franziska how to play, so now it's just you! I bought this game called "Super Smash Bros. Brawl!" Come on, I'll show you." Maya loved parties, especially mine. She steered me to the Wii and showed me how to play. I eventually got the hang of it. My favourite character was Fox in his purple shirt and pink boots. I expect Maya used my money to pay for this though. Maya seemed to be the only one who properly knew what she was doing. I let her have a go whilst I went to talk to Edgeworth about the case at hand.

"Hi Edgeworth. Can't believe you'd actually come to any party, let alone mine!" I chuckled.

"Well, Wright, Maya sent me an invitation last week. I was going to refuse and finish my paperwork instead, but today Maya had come to my house and dragged me along, partially literally. Believe me Wright, I did not even want to come." Edgeworth said with a serious, and bored face. My face fell slightly.

"Come on Edgeworth! You could at least _try_ to be nice!" I moaned. Edgeworth burst out laughing.

"I'm just pulling your leg, Wright! I did want to finish my paperwork today, but when I received the invitation I decided to leave it for another day." Edgeworth laughed. I laughed too. That was unexpected, he rarely pulls a joke.

"What I actually wanted to talk to you about was the murder of Viola Cadaverini. Do you know who's going to be prosecuting for the case?" I asked.

"Well, it's definitely not me, and Prosecutor Godot only came out here today because he was allowed to come to the party, so that leaves Winston Payne and Franziska. You might want to ask her if she's prosecuting." Edgeworth explained.

"I really hope it's Franziska. That Payne guy really annoys me. Even though Franziska's tough competition, it's fun facing her. Payne just accuses me of being a rookie who hardly knows anything. Anyway, do you have enough facts?" I asked.

"Not many, as I am not directly involved with the case. I can tell you some information that I hope will be useful to you. Viola Cadaverini was the cherished granddaughter of mob boss Bruto Cadaverini. She suffered head damage due to Furio Tigre, the murderer of Glen Elg, crashing into her with his motorbike. She helped Tigre stage the fake murder. Viola later revealed she didn't want to do any of this, and was going to become a nice person. Anyway, you know all of this already. She was killed on with a pistol, which was checked for fingerprints, and bears Iris' fingerprints. Iris' purse was also found at the scene of the crime, as well as some cinnamon and chili flakes, which also bear Iris' fingerprints. This looks like a tough case for you. Good luck, Wright." Edgeworth said. I made my way over to Franziska, who accidentally whipped me whilst aiming at Larry. Larry got whipped too, so he staggered away shouting 'My shoulder! Owwww, that kills!' over and over again. I felt sorry for him, I know what being whipped constantly feels like. Franziska looked a titchy, tiny bit sorry for whipping me.

"Sorry, Phoenix Wright. That foolishly foolish fool just foolishly asked me to model for his foolishly foolish picture book, the foolish fool. Now, what do you want? Oh, and happy birthday." She said. Franziska can be really fierce.

"I just wanted to know if you're the prosecutor for the trial of Iris Hawthorne. Are you?" I asked. She whipped me for asking.

"Of course I am the prosecutor for this case! I never miss out on a chance to beat you, Phoenix Wright! You," she whipped me. "Of," another whipping. "All," again. "People," I'm going to get whip wounds. "Should," once again. "Know," this kills. "That!" a really fierce whipping.

"Okay, thanks. I guess." I said, rubbing the places I was whipped. Then a really loud sound deafened me. The sound sounded a lot like Maya.

"Alright, guys and gals! Today you are going to witness the ultimate court battle! Will the contestants please come into the middle of the room?" Maya asked through a megaphone. Nobody stepped forward.

"Oh, yeah. I forgot to tell you how to find out if you are a contestant. Okay, everybody look in your pockets for a cardboard attorney's badge." Maya explained. I looked in my pocket, and lo and behold, I found a fake attorney's badge. Pretty neat idea of Maya's.

"Okay, NOW will the contestants please step into the middle of the room?" Maya asked. Franziska, Edgeworth, Godot and myself stepped forward.

"Four lawyers, determined to find out the truth! How will they battle it out? By playing Super Smash Bros. Brawl of course! Contestants, pick your character!" Maya said. I quickly went for Fox in the purple shirt and pink boots. The others laughed at Fox's funky get up. I smirked. I renamed the Fox in this get up 'Tactical Fox'. Edgeworth chose Link with his normal green clothes, Godot chose Mario in his normal wear, and Franziska chose Zelda with a blue dress.

"Okay, ARE YOU READY? 3, 2, 1, GO!" Maya shouted. We were battling in Hyrule. There was no mercy, we all fought to the death!

Godot was taken out first, then a couple of minutes later, Franziska. For the first time ever she graciously accepted defeat, with a little bit of whipping. Okay, maybe a lot. Then for 10 whole minutes it was just me and Edgeworth fighting for survival. Finally I delivered the final blow and KO'd Edgeworth.

"Winner, player 1!" I cheered.

"So the winner is the one, the only, PHOENIX WRIGHT! Let's give him a big hand!" Maya cheered. Everybody clapped.

"Alright, now it's time for the cake! Larry, will you turn off the lights please?" Maya asked. The lights were turned off and I was sat down into my seat. Maya was about to light the cake but Edgeworth took them off her and did it himself. To tell you the truth, I was relieved he did that.

"Okay guys? 3, 2, 1…" Maya counted down.

"Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday dear Phoenix, happy birthday to you!" everyone sang. Well, except for Franziska, Edgeworth and Godot. Basically the more serious ones. I blew out the candles, all 26! In one go! Larry turned the lights back on and I cut everyone a slice.

"This cake's amazing! Where'd you get it Maya?" I asked.

"I made it silly! This whole party was the reason I couldn't investigate! I had to bake the cake, decorate it, make sure everybody was coming _and_ decorate the office!" Maya explained. Everybody enjoyed the cake, but it was eventually time for them to go. At one o'clock in the morning! Pearls was yawning herself silly.

"Alright, time for bed. Come on! We've got lots of investigating to do tomorrow!" I ushered everyone to bed, and got into bed myself. Got a long day ahead of us tomorrow! I thought about the case at hand, and I remembered something Mia had said to me ages ago.

'I believe in you, and I'll represent you till the very end.'

"Iris, I believe in you, and I'll represent you till the very end." I whispered.

**A/N- I had to include Phoenix's birthday! Reviews are welcome, and I would love for some constructive criticism. First time writing, you know? **


	6. Chapter 6

"Wakey wakey! Time to get up! We've got lots of investigating to do! Pearl and Trucy are already up!" I said loudly. I pulled the covers off Maya.

"Gerroff! I'm shleepy, leave me alone! Go bug shumone elshe!" Maya mumbled angrily. I didn't relent. I even got a fan and made it blow onto her!

"I'll keep doing this until you wake up!" I warned.

"Alright, I'm up! Now go and make breakfast!" Maya ordered. I made pancakes and put all the toppings on the table. Chocolate spread, cream and jam.

"Breakfast's ready! It's pancakes!" I called. Three figures sat down at the table faster than lightening!

"Oh yum! Pancakes!" Pearl, Trucy and Maya chorused joyfully. They each lathered their toppings on. Pearl had cream, Trucy had jam and Maya had chocolate. I had a bit of each, and it actually tasted quite nice! Once we had finished, I cleaned up the dishes and then we went to investigate the crime scene. The police had put white tape around where the body had been found.

"Okay, let's check it out." I said. I looked around. Suddenly I saw something which struck me as odd. There was a rock with a piece of cloth underneath it. I took off the rock and examined the cloth. There was a message written in blood. It said 'Get ready'.

"Get ready? What's that supposed to mean?" I mused.

"Oh, I know! Viola could see into the future, and she foresaw a world catastrophe next year!" Maya joked.

"Is that…blood?" Pearl asked worriedly.

"Yeah, but don't worry Pearl!" Trucy reassured. I thought this was an important piece of evidence, so I filed it into the court record. The sun came out, and something was shining. I bent to pick it up, and it was a bullet. I filed it into the court record. I couldn't see anything else around here, so I left this area. Maybe we could try Vitamin Square, you can see the murder scene from there.

"Hey, shall we try Vitamin Square? Maybe someone there witnessed the crime?" I suggested.

"You're the boss, let's go!" Maya said. So we made our way to Vitamin Square. And sure enough, Victor Kudo was there, feeding the pigeons. Well, more like _attacking _the poor pigeons!

"Hello, Mr. Kudo. I'm Phoenix Wright, a defense attorney. I'm investigating a murder that happened near Tres Bien the other day. I was just wondering if you would've happened to seen anything, or heard anything?" I asked politely. He whacked me with seeds.

"I remember you! You're that lawyer kid who demonstrated to the court that I'm insane! Well I'm not, so stuff that in your face, kiddo!" Victor ranted angrily. He threw even more seeds at me. I hastened to tell him what really happened.

"Mr. Kudo, you've got it all wrong! I did at first try to prove that you were sort of insane, and had no memory, but when I solved the case I proved to the court that you did actually see what you said you saw! You just didn't see the actual murder of Glen Elg! You saw the re-enactment of the murder! So, I proved your memory that time to be as sharp as ever, and your sanity top notch!" I quickly explained.

"Oh, right. Well, thanks for taking back what you said. Ask me any questions you want." Victor looked embarrassed.

"Okay, Mr. Kudo. I want to know if you saw a murder of a lady happen outside Tres Bien. Or did you hear anything? Just basically tell me all you know about the murder." I explained, closing all loopholes, I hope!

"I don't know nothing about no murder." he said bluntly.

"Are you sure, Mr. Kudo? Try and think really hard to the 25th of April, please." I pushed. Suddenly he gave a gasp of understanding.

"What's did you say this young lady's name was?" Victor asked.

"Viola Cadaverini." I said, hoping for a reaction of some sort. Suddenly he started crying. Now that kind of reaction was unexpected!

"Viola! That, sweet, sweet girl! She was a waitress at Tres Bien, a very nice young girl. She looked quite a bit like yourself, little missy. Apart from the fact that she wore normal clothes." He sobbed, pointing at Trucy. She looked surprised. She didn't know whether to look offended, happy, or sad. She eventually settled for sad, though if he had said her clothes weren't normal when he hadn't suffered an emotional blow, she would've laid it into him. I looked at Trucy, and thought of Viola. They looked nothing alike! Can't argue with an old grumpy man though. ESPECIALLY when he's sad.

"I'm really sorry for your loss, Mr. Kudo. I really am. I don't know much about this girl, but she sounds really nice." Trucy said sadly.

"Now don't you go fretting about it. You've got a whole life to be living, and you've only just started, like, like, like VIOLA!" Victor sobbed even more.

"Here, Trucy, do you think you could try to get more information out of him?" I asked her quietly. She nodded.

"Mr. Kudo? Are you quite alright?" Trucy asked, concerned. He nodded, but he didn't look all right.

"Mr. Kudo. Phoenix, this lawyer here, who's also my daddy, Pearl, Maya and me want to avenge Viola. By capturing the real criminal. An innocent girl has been accused of this murder. Just imagine how Viola would feel if her killer wandered free. We want Viola's spirit to be content in the spirit world, we want an innocent girl to be freed, and we want a killer to be brought to justice. So we are going to ask you something. Do you have any recollection of Viola's murder? If not, do you have any information on Viola herself?" Trucy asked. She used words that I normally use there. She convinced him.

"Okay, I'll tell you. I don't have any recollection of the murder. I don't even think I was here at midnight. But I do have a lot of information on Viola. She told me not to tell anyone, but now she's dead and I want her spirit to rest in peace. I hope she'll understand. Viola was at first a really creepy girl apparently. She worked for that Furio Tigre bloke, who had poisoned that hi tech boy, at Tender Lender, that loan shark company. She was responsible for being that young waitress Maggey in the staging. After that trial she said that she didn't want to be creepy, mean or evil ever again, so she went and applied for a job at Tres Bien. Apparently the owner of Tres Bien was reluctant because she had been part of that loan shark company. But she had insisted she had changed, and showed him pictures of her laughing and smiling, and doing community service. She had given those pictures to me afterwards, as a reward for being a regular customer. She signs all my receipts. I've still got them." Victor said sadly.

"Mr. Kudo? I was wondering. Would it be okay for us to use these in our case? They could be very valuable." I asked.

"If it's for her sake, then okay." Victor agreed. I filed it into the court record.

"I think you've told us enough now, Mr. Kudo. Thank you. We shall make sure Viola's killer is put behind bars." I consoled.

"Thanks for putting your time and effort into this." Victor thanked solemnly. We waved to him as we exited Vitamin Square. Wow, I thought. This Victor sure was different to the Victor I had to deal with when I was defending Maggey. I guess Victor was a nice person, deep down.

"I need to go to the office, Nick. This time it's not for a birthday party! I'm going to see if you were smart enough to keep a file on Viola. Maybe that will help us. You keep investigating the scene with Pearly and Trucy, I'll be fine on my own. If I don't find one on Viola, maybe I'll be able to find one on her grandfather, or on someone else who might be related to this case." Maya explained.

"Think you can manage it? You won't get kidnapped, will you? Or severely wounded?" I joked. Pearls looked outraged. She slapped me.

"Mr. Nick! That's a terrible thing to say! You should be ashamed!" Pearls chided. Trucy laughed.

"Trucy! I thought I had your loyalty!" I said in mock hurt.

"You do…when Pearl isn't here!" Trucy joked. Maya and Pearl giggled. I pretended to be hurt.

"Just kidding Daddy!" Trucy laughed. I breathed out a sigh of relief.

"Thank the stars! Fine Maya, and I know you WON'T be in peril! You'll be perfectly safe, having a good old time wrecking my office!" I said slyly. Maya gave me a push. It hurt! What is it with the Fey family and physical torture?

"Alright, I give up! Go to the office, be perfectly safe and perfectly tidy! Does anybody have a problem with that?" I said, exasperated. This time all three of them put their hands up. I groaned and put my hands up in defeat. The three laughed. I handed the keys to Maya and she skipped off to the office.

"Right, okay. Tomorrow's the trial. Maybe we should go pay a visit to Iris, to give her some moral support before the trial." I suggested.

"I agree with the moral support part, but not moral support for Iris! I think you need more than her!" Trucy joked. I gave her a slight push.

"Sister Iris! Sister Iris!" Pearls chanted. So we made our way to the detention centre. We went to Iris' cell.

"Hi Iris!" we all greeted happily as we got to her cell.

"Hi! How's the investigation going?" Iris asked.

"Well, we spoke to the big pink man in Tres Bien, and he said he saw you shoot her! He's lying! I won't let Mr. Nick believe him! The big pink man is a meanie!" Pearls ranted. Iris looked startled.

"Pearl, I need to tell you something. You're my sister, and you deserve the truth. I did shoot the pistol, but by accident. The real killer killed her first, and gave me the gun. I had dropped my purse, so as I bent down to reach it, I accidentally pulled the trigger. I don't know where the bullet landed." Iris explained. I presented the bullet to her.

"Iris, I think this might be the bullet you shot. I found it next to where the body had laid." I explained.

"That cleared my conscience, thank you!" Iris said happily.

"I think we should go now." I said. We got up from our seat.

"Thank you for visiting me. I wish you all happy times. You all deserve it. Give my wishes to Maya as well." Iris thanked.

"No problemo, Iris! Good luck with the trial tomorrow!" Trucy smiled. We waved goodbye and left. As we were making our way towards the office I received a call from Maya's phone.

"Hi Maya, what's up?" I asked. Nothing could have prepared me for what came next.

"I have kidnapped Maya." The strange voice said.

"WHAT? NO! Please tell me this is some cruel, sick joke! Maya, stop scaring us!" I yelled into my cell phone. Maya had been in peril too many times. When somebody says they have kidnapped Maya, it's probably true.

"I'm not lying, and this is not a joke. The only way you can get her back is by getting a guilty verdict for Iris. Do you understand?" the voice asked dangerously.

"Yes. What is your name, though?" I whispered.

"My name is…De Killer." De Killer hung up the phone. De Killer, De Killer. The name rung a bell.

"SHELLY DE KILLER!" I shouted. Trucy and Pearls jumped.

"Who's Shelly De Killer?" Trucy asked. Pearl gasped.

"Shelly De Killer! He's that horrible, horrible man who kidnapped Mystic Maya!" Pearls said angrily.

"Oh! Why did you say his name?" Trucy asked.

"Maya. MAYA! WHY DID YOU HAVE TO GO AND GET YOURSELF KIDNAPPED BY THAT, THAT ASSASSIN!" I yelled to no one in particular. I just realized that Pearls could hear me.

"MYSTIC MAYAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Pearls cried. Trucy was crying too. I was near tears as well. How many times does this girl have to put herself in danger! I looked at Pearls. She didn't look like she'd be able to move. I picked her up, held Trucy's hand and made our way to the office. When we got back I told everyone to go to bed, while I stayed downstairs. Five minutes after I put them in bed Pearls and Trucy came downstairs. I gave them a blanket and let them sleep on the sofa. I thought about Mia, and how she would react to this.

"Mia, help me." I whispered sadly.

**A/N- Yep. Kudo's in here too. I know. It's bad. But he's crucial to the story, believe it or not! Don't hate on me for doing this! Reviews please! Any questions that are asked I'll update my future author's notes to answer them. Peace out!**


	7. Chapter 7

I woke up with a jolt. My cell phone was ringing. I didn't bother to see who was calling.

"Hello. This is the Wright and co. Law offices, how may I help you?" I asked sleepily.

"Wright, it's me. How are you? I don't think you're feeling all that great." Edgeworth concluded.

"Hi Edgeworth. I'm fine, what makes you think I'm not?" I asked, a little defensively.

"A couple of things, actually. The fact that you sound sleepy is a minor factor." Edgeworth said.

"Well, I went to sleep late last night. I was investigating!" I said, covering up the real reason.

"The major factor is that Iris' trial starts in fifteen minutes, and you're still not here!" Edgeworth said.

"Yikes! Oh man, what about Pearls and Trucy? They're sleeping! I can't get them ready in five minutes! Edgeworth, I know this is a lot to ask, but could you come over to watch Trucy and Pearl please?" I pleaded, whilst getting my jacket on.

"What about Maya? She's capable enough." Edgeworth pointed out. My mouth went dry at the mention of Maya.

"She can't." I replied bluntly. I heard Edgeworth sigh.

"Tell you what, Wright. I'll look after them, only if you tell me what's going on after the trial." Edgeworth offered.

"Okay." I agreed. Suddenly Edgeworth hung up on me. I brushed my teeth for about thirty seconds. I found a mint that could act as a substitute, so I popped it into my mouth. As I was writing a note saying 'Gone to court for the trial, Edgeworth is coming', someone tried the door handle. I froze. Edgeworth stepped in.

"Hello Wright. No time for greetings, out you go, here's the taxi fare, now GO!" Edgeworth literally pushed me out of the door. I owe a lot to him. I got into a taxi, paid him, got out and ran into the defendant's lobby. Luckily the trial hadn't started.

"Hi Iris. Sorry for being late, I'll tell you the circumstances after the trial." I panted.

"Hello Phoenix. It's okay. Where's Maya? Isn't she usually your co-counsel?" Iris queried. I froze at the mention of Maya.

"She's fine. We all went to bed late last night, and they needed a lie in. Edgeworth's gone round to make sure that they don't trash the place. I wouldn't put it past Maya!" I said, a little too brightly. Iris looked at me, a serious expression on her face.

"Phoenix, Maya is my cousin. You're hiding something. I want to know. After this trial you must tell me. Do you promise?" Iris said sternly. Wow, her stare can rival Pearl's! I let out a sigh.

"I promise." I said.

"Thank you. I wish you good luck with the trial, and please prove my innocence! I place my fate in your hands. I know you can do it." Iris said confidently. I smiled at her to show my thanks for her confidence in me.

"Could the defendant and the defense please enter the courtroom!" the bailiff said.

"Good luck!" Iris said. I've got to prove this girl innocent. But then I remembered Maya's ransom; a guilty verdict for Iris. This was too much to bear. I took my place on the defense bench. This is it, my first trial without a Fey! Franziska was waiting, whip in hand. The Judge pounded his gavel.

"We will now start the trial of Miss Iris Hawthorne. Say, haven't you been a defendant before?" the Judge enquired. Iris was about to reply when Franziska whipped the Judge.

"That is irrelevant." Franziska said bluntly.

"Okay. Ahem. The prosecution's opening statement, please." The Judge said.

"The murder of Viola Cadaverini occurred on the 25th of April. She was shot with a pistol near Tres Bien. The bullet inside of her had the same ballistic markings as the pistol. The pistol had fired two rounds. I have the bullet that killed her here." Franziska explained.

"The court accepts this evidence into the court record." The Judge said. Franziska continued.

"We have the autopsy report here, as well as a photo of the body." She said.

"The court accepts this evidence into the court record as well! Very well, please call the first witness!" The Judge said.

"State your name and profession." Franziska ordered.

"My name's Dick Gumshoe, sir! I'm a homicide detective down at the local precinct, sir!" Gumshoe said.

"Very well. Please state your testimony for the court." The Judge ordered.

"Viola Cadaverini was murdered on the 25th of April at approximately twelve o'clock. She was killed with a pistol, which bears the defendant's fingerprints. The ballistic markings matched that of the pistol. Viola died as soon as that bullet hit her in her forehead. The defendant's purse was found at the crime scene, as well as the cinnamon and chili flakes she bought. They all bear her fingerprints." Gumshoe testified.

"That seems like a solid testimony. Well, Mr. Wright? Time for the cross examination." The Judge said.

"Yes, Your Honour." I said. I know just which piece of evidence to present!

""Viola Cadaverini was murdered on the 25th of April at approximately twelve o'clock. She was killed with a pistol, which bears the defendant's fingerprints. The ballistic markings matched that of the pistol. Viola died as soon as that bullet hit her in the forehead." Gumshoe said. I cut in.

"OBJECTION!" I shouted, whilst presenting the piece of cloth saying 'Get ready' in blood. Hmm, not as loud as Apollo's, but still pretty loud! I need to work on my Chords of Steel!

"How, exactly, does that piece of cloth classify as related evidence?" Franziska asked impatiently. The Judge looked like he was thinking the same.

"I know that it looks like an ordinary piece of cloth, with no relation to the case at hand. However! If you turn it around, you suddenly see the cloth in a different light! There are, as you can see, two words written on this piece of cloth. There is no mistaking the fact that these words are written in blood." I explained. I had the bailiff hand it over to the Judge. He examined it, and a look of surprise was etched on his face.

"Why, Mr. Wright is right! There are words written in blood! It says, 'Get ready'. Does anybody have any idea what this means?" The Judge asked.

"No, Your Honour." I replied.

"No, I don't. Anyway, how do we know Viola wrote this? It could have just been any foolishly foolish fool who wrote it! Show me proof that Viola wrote this!" Franziska enquired. I presented the crime photo to her.

"If you pay attention to her right hand, you can see that on the top of her finger there is a red stain, which proves that she wrote this!" I yelled. Franziska saw it and pounded her desk in frustration.

"It seems that the prosecution has no objections against this matter. However, the blood needs to be analyzed to determine whose blood it is. We shall continue this trial tomorrow, which lets the defense and the prosecution investigate further. Court is now in recess!" The Judge said, pounding his gavel. I made my way to the defendant lobby, and was about to leave until Iris spoke.

"You didn't forget your promise, did you?" Iris asked. I sighed and turned around to face her.

"What's wrong, Phoenix? I want to know." She said softly.

"Maya was kidnapped yesterday, by an assassin. He goes by the name of De Killer. He had kidnapped Maya a long time ago to make me prove his client, Matt Engarde, innocent. I broke his trust of his client, so he freed Maya and I got to have Engarde convicted." I said quietly. Iris looked horrified.

"Oh my. Poor Maya! What's the ransom? I'll help pay for it!" Iris assured.

"I don't think you'll want to help pay for this ransom, Iris. The ransom is to get you convicted of murder. Obviously the real killer had hired De Killer to kidnap Maya. I don't know what to do, Iris. I can't let you die, and I can't let Maya die. Edgeworth suspects something's up, and no doubt Franziska will too, eventually." I said heavily. I looked up to face Iris. She looked as if she had been hit. She looked so sad. Then she looked up at me, and she looked so angry I couldn't believe it. The only time I had seen Iris look like this was when Dahlia had taken possession of Maya. Her look scared me out of my wits.

"Iris…?" I said nervously.

"Nobody, and I mean NOBODY, kills an innocent member of my family! I'm not mad at you, Phoenix. Just those, those MONSTERS who think they can do what they want to my family! Well, I've got some news for them! Phoenix is going to convict you of murder! Then you'll get what's coming to you! Phoenix, you must get Maya out of danger. Maya first, then me. Do you understand?" Iris asked firmly. I couldn't believe it. Timid, shy Iris was willing to put her life in danger to protect Maya. She's a great friend, and a great relative to the Fey's.

"Iris, you and Maya are going to come out of this alive and well. I'll even bet on it! If I save you both, I'm paying for the victory feast, and if I don't save you both, I'll jump off a cliff. Deal?" I asked. Iris shook my hand, not knowing if I was joking about the jumping of a cliff part.

"See you then Iris." I called as I exited the defendant lobby.

"Bye Phoenix! You better win that bet!" Iris called. I chuckled. This is the first time someone's wanted me to win a bet that they're competing in. First time for everything, I guess. I caught the taxi back home and entered the house. I went into the living room as quietly as I could. Edgeworth saw me, but I told him to keep quiet about it as I wanted to see what activity they were doing. Edgeworth was telling Trucy and Pearl a story, stopping after every few sentences. The girls appeared to be drawing something.

"Then the prince defeated the evil dragon!" Edgeworth said. He waited for the girls to finish drawing that bit, then he gave them a new sheet of paper and said another part of the story.

"So the prince saved the princess and they lived happily ever after!" Edgeworth concluded. Pearl looked especially happy at this part. I dreaded to find out what she was going to draw. I decided to show myself now.

"Hi guys! How've you been? Has Mr. Edgeworth been nice? What've you been doing?" I asked.

"DADDY!" Trucy cheered.

"MR. NICK!" Pearl cheered. They came running to me and nearly knocked me over!

"Hey, hey, calm down guys! Was Edgeworth that bad?" I joked.

"No, Mr. Eh-ji-worth was great! He gave us pancakes for breakfast, with all our favourite toppings! And he let us create our own stop motion film! And for lunch he let us have instant noodles! And before you came Mr. Edgeworth told us to think of a story together! I wanted a story about a pretty princess who lived happily with her prince, but Trucy said it didn't have any excitement! She wanted dragons and dinosaurs roaming the Earth! But Mr. Edgeworth sorted it out and made up a story about a pretty princess who was captured by an evil dragon and her prince had to come and save her! Then Mr. Edgeworth told the story to us and made us draw the scene! Do you want to see our favourite pictures?" Pearl said, quite quickly. I nodded and agreed. Trucy and Pearl went and got their favourite scenes. Trucy brought her picture of a dragon spouting fire. Somehow I knew she'd pick that one, she hates soppy stuff. It looked quite good, maybe she should give up magic and become an artist! Pearl's drawing was just as I predicted. It was a picture of me and Maya, obviously. She had labelled me 'Prince', and labelled Maya 'Princess'. Somehow I don't think she's ever going to grasp the fact that Maya and me AREN'T IN LOVE. It did look good though.

"Nice girls! Maybe you should become artists!" I complimented. Pearl and Trucy shook their heads.

"Alright now, it's time for bed! It's ten o'clock, and you guys need your sleep!" I ordered. They hugged us then went to bed. Me and Edgeworth sat down on the sofa, exhausted.

"So, Wright. How did the trial go?" Edgeworth asked.

"It went alright. I haven't got Iris out of the woods yet. Viola had written a note with blood saying 'Get ready'. We don't know if the blood's hers, so the Judge ordered an analysis on the blood to determine who's it was. I don't know what Viola meant by 'Get ready' though." I sighed.

"Don't worry Wright. Franziska will soon be on your side." Edgeworth said mysteriously. I was surprised. The only way Franziska would be on my side is if I was a perfect prosecutor, who had the ability of never losing. Chance of that happening: Zero. Zilch. Nada. Edgeworth seemed to know what I was thinking, but didn't comment. Suddenly the doorbell rang. I went to the door, and, to my utmost surprise, there stood the whip happy perfect prosecutor, Franziska Von Karma!

"Hello, Phoenix Wright. Miles called me here to discuss your problems. I shall do all I can to assist you, even if I do consider you a rival." Franziska said.

"Hi Franziska. Try to not use your whip, and please try to be quiet. Pearl and Trucy are asleep." I asked. She nodded and quietly made her way into the living room, and sat down next to Edgeworth.

"So, Wright. I presume you know why we are sat down here? We agreed, remember?" Edgeworth asked. I sighed, and started to speak, before Franziska cut in.

"Where's Maya? I'm quite fond of that girl, even if I don't show it." Franziska said fondly.

"I'll tell you where she is. Yesterday we were investigating the crime scene and talking to people who could be witnesses. Maya then said that she needed to go to the office to see if I kept any files on Viola, or anyone related to Viola. Me, Pearl and Trucy kept investigating. When we were coming home I received a call from Maya's cell phone. It wasn't Maya who called though. It was De Killer." I whispered. Edgeworth was about to say something, but Franziska shushed him. She signaled for me to continue.

"He said that he had kidnapped Maya. He said the ransom was a guilty verdict for Iris. I told this to Iris and she got really angry and said that nobody hurts innocent members of her family. She said that I could get her a guilty verdict if it meant protecting Maya. I don't know what to do. I can't let Maya die, but I can't let Iris suffer a guilty verdict. " I finished. There was a definite hint of plea in my voice. Edgeworth and Franziska were silent. They were clearly thinking. Then Franziska spoke. Her voice was softer than usual. It seemed she really understood what was happening, and was doing her best to be nice.

"Phoenix Wright. I understand what you are going through. But you must remain strong. If it is tough for you, imagine how little Pearl and Trucy are feeling. You must remain strong, for them. Miles and I shall do all we can to assist you. I shall make sure that Maya is safe and sound before Iris' trial ends, and then you can show the world that Iris is not guilty. I used to think it was all about winning and perfection. But now I've seen you. You win every trial I oppose you in. I always ask you how, and you say it's believing in your client, and fighting for the truth. I hope you understand what I am willing to do for you, Pearl, Trucy, Maya and Iris. Lose. I do not look it, but I can be nice." Franziska said determinedly. I looked at her. She seemed an entirely different person. Someone who cares. Edgeworth then made his offer.

"Wright. I am willing to help you and everybody else involved in this. I shall help you investigate, and try to find the whereabouts of De Killer. I shall relay all new information to you." Edgeworth said solemnly. I looked at them, gratitude obvious.

"Thanks guys. This is really nice of you. Just make sure that you take more care of Pearls and Trucy than of me!" I said. They laughed and nodded.

"I'm glad you can make a joke even in the hardest of times, Phoenix Wright." Franziska said. I smiled. Suddenly there was a knock on the door. I got up to see who it was. It was Gumshoe.

"Hey, pal! I was just about to go to bed, but then I remembered something about the trial which was weird." Gumshoe said in a rush. I led him into the living room where Franziska and Edgeworth greeted him.

"Okay, Gumshoe. What did you think was weird?" I asked warily.

"Well, pal, it was about the defense. Maya wasn't there. And neither was Pearl. Or Trucy. You usually have a co-counsel. I just wanted to know what's going on, as a friend." Gumshoe stated. I might as well tell him. I've told Iris, Edgeworth and Franziska. Another person might help. So I retold the old story. Gumshoe looked shocked.

"Sorry to hear that pal. It's like the Matt Engarde trial all over again, isn't it pal? Except that the ransom is a guilty verdict, which proves that Iris isn't guilty." Gumshoe deducted. Franziska whipped him softly.

"This is not the time to talk about that case Scruffy. What Phoenix Wright needs is moral support. He also needs Maya to be set free and for Iris to get a not guilty verdict. That is why I want you to track down De Killer and free Maya, getting this man into jail if possible. Do you understand?" Franziska asked firmly. Gumshoe nodded warily.

"Hey pal. I just want you to know that whenever you need anything, you can count on me pal! Well, except for cash." Gumshoe said supportively. I thanked him graciously.

"Well, we had better be going. See you later then." Edgeworth said. Franziska and Gumshoe said goodbye as well. I waved. I went upstairs to check on Pearl and Trucy. Luckily they were fast asleep. I decided to have a bite to eat then go to bed. Not burgers. I just had buttered toast then trailed away to bed. After a couple of minutes Pearl had come into my room with her teddy bear.

"Mr. Nick? Is Mystic Maya going to come back? Is she going to be okay? I can't get to sleep. I WANT MYSTIC MAYAAAAAAA!" Pearl was wailing the house down. I turned my lamp on and went over to her.

"Maya's going to come back, don't worry. Now try to be quiet, or we'll wake up Trucy. We'll sleep downstairs today again." I whispered. Pearl nodded. I went into Trucy's room to check on her. It turned out that she was awake.

"Truce? Pearl and me are going to sleep downstairs because she can't get to sleep. Do you want to come too?" I asked. She nodded and got out of bed. We all went downstairs. I put Pearl and Trucy together on the same sofa, and I occupied the other. I looked at the time. It was eleven forty five. At least it wasn't as bad as yesterday. The picture of Maya and Mia caught my eye. Maya was crying, whilst Mia was trying to fix the urn. I wonder what Mia would say to that now. 'Those were good times', she would say. Mia. Suddenly I got an idea. I fell asleep, but not without writing it down.


	8. Chapter 8

I woke up with that note in my hand. I had written 'Channel Mia'. Luckily Pearl was awake, and so was Trucy. I got ready then went into the kitchen to find the place a tip. The cereal boxes were scattered around the place, all empty! The biscuit tins were empty too! I tidied up the kitchen, made myself some toast then went into the dining room. Pearl and Trucy were there, their bowls heaped with a mixture of cereals, some whipped cream on top, then biscuit pieces on top!

"Hi Mr. Nick! Do you like our breakfasts? Trucy thought of it!" Pearl said happily. I looked at Trucy. She looked sheepish.

"Well, Pearl said that she was bored of the normal breakfasts that we have everyday, and so was I, so I tried to think of something fun and creative. So then I remembered the day you and me bunged loads of cereals together because there was a little bit of everything! So I did that for us, but it still looked boring. Then Pearl thought of whipped cream with biscuit pieces on top! Neat huh?" Trucy explained. I nodded.

"Yes, very neat. Apart from the fact that you have to clean it all up!" I said, handing her a dustpan and brush. Trucy groaned.

"Why me? Why can't Pearl help too, she thought of the whipped cream and biscuits!" She moaned.

"I need Pearl to channel Mia for me.

Can you do that Pearl, please?" I asked.

"Sure, Mr. Nick!" Pearl agreed, and closed her eyes. Then suddenly she had transformed into Mia Fey. Mia looked around, and realized she was in the office. She saw me and smiled.

"Hello Phoenix. Long time no see!" Mia greeted happily.

"Hi Mia!" I replied.

"Hi Miss Fey! I'm Trucy Wright, though my old name was Trucy Gramarye! Or maybe Trucy Enigmar. Anyway, all that matters is now I'm Trucy Wright. Nice to meet you Miss Fey! Daddy told me this used to be your office, and Charley was your plant! It's a good job your office has Maya, Pearl and me, otherwise it'd be a mess!" Trucy said excitedly. Mia looked stunned at all this information.

"It really is long time no see then! Hello Trucy! You obviously know of me already. It's a pleasure to meet you. But please, call me Mia!" Mia said, smiling at the bouncy girl that stood in front of her. I looked at Trucy, and raised an eyebrow.

"Didn't I tell you to do something?" I asked.

"Awww, Daddy! I don't want to tidy the kitchen! Miss Fey, sorry, _Mia's _here! I want to talk to her!" Trucy argued. I normally would've let her stay, but not this time. The talk Mia and me are going to have is going to concern Maya. I was about to retort, but Mia butted in.

"Trucy, you can talk to me. I want to find out about you, but not yet. You've got to know something. Phoenix never calls me for something fun! He's probably going to talk to me about a case he's working on. Very boring stuff! Consider cleaning a privilege! You could practice your magic tricks!" Mia said wistfully. Trucy contemplated this, then agreed and went into the kitchen. I motioned for Mia to sit down.

"I assume I was right that you wanted to talk to me about a case?" Mia asked. I nodded.

"Except this time, it's worse." I said ominously. Mia then noticed something.

"Where's Maya? I want to see how my little sister is doing!" Mia said.

"Maya…Maya's been kidnapped." I said heavily. Mia looked shocked, then tears made her eyes sparkle. She refrained from crying though.

"How? Who? Why?" Mia asked quietly. I explained the whole story and Mia went even quieter than before. She was shaking.

"Mia?" I said, concerned.

"How dare he. How very DARE HE! No one has the license to hurt my sister! How many times she's suffered, emotionally and physically! First our father died, then our mum disappeared from Kurain, then I died and Maya was accused of my death. Then she was again accused of murder, and the real murderer was conspiring with Morgan. After that she was kidnapped by Shelly De Killer, with a chance of dying. Then she was the intended victim of a murder plot, our mother was killed and she was trapped in the Inner Temple. Now she's been kidnapped again. Why can't the world just let her be?" Mia ranted, to nobody in particular. I've never seen her this angry.

"Well? What shall I do? To save Maya I've got to get a guilty verdict for Iris, but I know Iris is innocent, and it wouldn't be fair to get her guilty of a crime she didn't commit. That's why I consulted you. You helped me with the Matt Engarde trial, and you need to help me again. Please?" I pleaded. Mia agreed of course.

"Well, we need to do what we did last time. Get Maya set free and then get Iris not guilty. Have you put Detective Gumshoe on De Killer's trail? Who's the prosecutor? Have you told that prosecutor about the situation? If they're decent they'd help you." Mia bombarded me with questions. I thought for a moment then answered.

"I've put Gumshoe on the trail. Or rather, Franziska has. She's the prosecutor for the case. I think that answers your questions concerning the prosecutor. Franziska has even said she'd lose to save Iris and Maya." I answered. Mia nodded her approval.

"I think all the advice I can give you is this. Believe in your client. Pursue the truth. Save innocent lives. Save my sister. Investigate the crime scene. Oh, and one more. Don't forget to ask Pearl to channel me in court!" Mia advised, smiling. I smiled too.

"Of course not! I don't want to lose, thank you!" I joked. I figured the conversation was over, so I called Trucy back in. She appeared in the living room in less than a heartbeat!

"What the-how-that's impossible!" I exclaimed. Trucy laughed.

"I've been practicing that trick for ages! It's finally worked! Did you like it Miss Mia?" Trucy asked eagerly.

"Like it? LIKE IT? I didn't like it at all!" Mia said. Trucy's face fell.

"Really? What went wrong? I did it exactly how Uncle Valant did it…" Trucy wondered sadly.

"I LOVED IT!" Mia exclaimed, grinning. Trucy smiled in delight.

"REALLY! I knew I had it right! Yay!" Trucy cheered. She did it again. And again. And again. Mia looked amazed.

"I've never seen real magic in my whole life! Apart from spirit channeling. If you can count that as magic. Show me some more tricks, Trucy!" Mia said eagerly. Who knew Mia was such a big fan of magic?

"Are you ready? This one is mainly targeted at little kids, but adults still get a kick out of it! Okay, here we go!" And she pulled out Mr. Hat.

"Hello everyone! Long time no see! All I see is the inside of Trucy's hat. Who's this? I've never met you before! Ah, you must be a new addition to the team! My name is Mr. Hat! How do you do?" Mr. Hat asked. Mia laughed.

"My name is Mia. It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Hat. I'm afraid I'm not a new addition. Let's just say I'm a very old member who appears to help at times!" Mia said with a laugh. Mr. Hat laughed too, bid us farewell and went back into top hat form. Mia giggled.

"Where do you get these idea's from, eh? Anyway, I think it's time for me to go, and for Pearl to come back to the real world. Remember what I said, Phoenix. Trucy, stay strong in the good times, and the bad. Don't forget to practice your magic tricks! Tell this to Pearl once she's back. Maya will come back. Mia said so. And I don't need to ask you to tell Maya anything from me, because I shall see her as soon as she comes back. Bye guys, and I'll see you later!" Mia waved. She started fading from Pearl's body, and Pearl was coming back.

"Mia told me to tell you something. Maya will come back. Mia said so." I told Pearl. Pearl had tears forming in her eyes. She started crying, but they were tears of joy.

"I knew it, I knew it! Mystic Mia even said so!" Pearl cried joyfully. We all started cheering for the wonder that was Mia.

"What would we ever do without you, Mia?" I asked Mia in my head, so nobody, let alone Mia, would be able to hear me, though I could've sworn I heard a faint chuckle coming from above…


	9. Chapter 9

"Come on! We need to do some investigating! Where shall we go?" I asked Trucy and Pearl eagerly, but Gumshoe charged in. It appears I forgot to lock the door.

"Hiya pal! Got great news!" Gumshoe panted. It seems as if he had come running all the way here.

"Have you found Mystic Maya?" Pearl asked excitedly. Gumshoe scratched his head.

"Not that great, Pearly pal." Gumshoe said apologetically. Pearl's face fell, and so did Trucy's. I tried to keep my face the same.

"So, what is this good news then?" I asked Gumshoe.

"Well, Mr. Edgeworth found some files on Viola Cadaverini's family. Her grandfather, Bruto Cadaverini, is a mob boss. His base is in the old run down building near Hickfield Clinic. Maybe you should go pay a visit to him." Gumshoe suggested. I yelped.

"ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND! He's a mob boss! He could decide to kill us just for knocking on his door!" I exclaimed. Gumshoe laughed.

"Are you out of your mind, pal? We wouldn't send you down there without a bodyguard!" Gumshoe assured. I breathed out a sigh of relief.

"In fact, I've got your bodyguard right here!" Gumshoe said. I looked around.

"Where?" I asked quizzically.

"I'm your bodyguard pal! Duh!" Gumshoe explained, as if he was stating the obvious.

"Ok then. Let's go. Pearl, Trucy. We're going to go to Viola's granddad's house. I want you to behave yourselves and stay close next to Gumshoe and me. Okay?" I said.

"Okay!" Pearl and Trucy agreed. We set off to Bruto Cadaverini's base. It was quite a long way away. When we had gotten halfway Pearl's feet were hurting so I carried her on my shoulders. When we finally got there I was hesitant. Gumshoe scoffed at me and knocked himself. A stout man with a scar on his face opened the door.

"What do youse want?" he asked bluntly. I gulped and started to speak.

"Hello. My name is Phoenix Wright. I am here with my friend, Dick Gumshoe, my friend's cousin Pearl Fey and my daughter Trucy Wright. Say hello girls!" I introduced. Pearl and Trucy obediently said hello and waved timidly. Gumshoe extended his hand, and he shook it. Good sign. He looked at me.

"You still haven't answered my question. What do youse want?" he repeated.

"We need to see Bruto Cadaverini. Could you direct us to him please?" I asked.

"He's standing right in front of you." He said bluntly. I realized that the man we were talking to was Bruto.

"Ah, excellent. We are here to talk to you about your granddaughter, Viola. It has come to our knowledge that-" I started, but I was cut off by Bruto shouting.

"WHO DARED KILL MY VIOLA? THEY SHALL PAY! NOBODY KILLS VIOLA AND GETS AWAY WITH IT!" Bruto shouted furiously.

"Bruto, calm down. I am a defense attorney. The person who is being accused of Viola's murder is innocent. The real killer is still out there somewhere. I intend to track them down and bring them to justice. But we need more information. Could you please tell us about Viola? About any connections she might have had with other people? We need all the information we can get." I asked. Surprisingly, he nodded. He beckoned for us to enter. His house gave a gloomy feeling to anyone who entered. The living room was a bit brighter though, evidently because had pictures of Viola.

"Viola was my world. She looked after me, and loved me. In return, I loved and protected her. That Furio Tigre idiot, who couldn't even pay off his debt, hit her in the head! He was eventually found guilty of murder though. Viola then became a waitress at that Tres Bien place. When she came back home every night she would be happy and smiling. She would make me a cup of tea and talk to me about her day. I always looked forward to my evenings with Viola. On the day she was murdered she rang me at 10 o'clock and said the restaurant was busy, so she would be staying till approximately midnight. I waited for her to arrive. I stayed up all night waiting for her. At 6 o'clock in the morning I went to Tres Bien. I demanded to know where my granddaughter was. The owner of that restaurant told me that she was dead. I asked the police who were surrounding the area where Viola's corpse had lain if that was true. They said yes. They showed me a picture of the girl they accused. She didn't look like she could even hold a gun, let alone fire it!" Bruto gave his entire account. I had already heard this story, but I wanted to hear it from Bruto's point of view. We sat in silence. Bruto then spoke.

"Would you like to see her room? It might have some clues." Bruto offered. I accepted and went into her room. It was by far the cheeriest. It was adorned with pictures of Viola and Bruto. She had kept it very clean. I walked around her room. She had a chest of drawers that could contain something important. I looked in the first draw. Just clothes. The second drawer contained the same, as did the third. But the fourth one contained bric-a-brac that she obviously didn't use. I rifled through it. Pencils, glowsticks, notepads, pictures, the works. There was a picture that caught my eye, though. It was a picture of Viola holding a cup and saucer, and a girl who looked like Dahlia holding a crystal bottle labeled 'Sugar'. Since when were Dahlia and Viola friends? I filed it into the court record.

"Hey, look at this picture! Doesn't the redhead remind you of someone?" I said. Pearl, Trucy and Gumshoe looked. Pearl's face had an expression of recognition, as did Gumshoe's and Trucy's.

"That's Iris! It's Iris with red hair! Mr. Nick, why does she have red hair?" Pearl asked. Trucy asked the same thing. But Gumshoe recognized her for who she truly was.

"But that's, but pal, that's Dahlia Hawthorne!" Gumshoe exclaimed. Pearl gasped.

"Sister Dahlia! She was a big meanie! She tried to kill Mystic Maya, and Mother told me to channel her! I hate her!" Pearl said furiously. Trucy looked confused.

"Am I the only one in the dark here?" She said. So I told her about Dahlia. Her past, her 'relationship' with me, her façade, victims and intended victims, her downfall brought upon her by Mia, her relationship with Iris and the Fey family, and her conspiracy with Morgan Fey. Trucy gasped in horror.

"I didn't know someone could be that horrid!" She gasped.

"What I want to know is what business Dahlia had with Viola. Let's go ask Bruto." I said. I turned around and Bruto was already there.

"That Dahlia lady was one of Viola's friends in college. They went everywhere together, and Dahlia often came over to this house. She was a sweet young girl. One day she was writing something in private. She left it on the table, and turned the piece of paper upside down. When I was cleaning up the table, the piece of paper fell and turned around. It was a plan. The title read 'How to kill Phoenix'. She came in and saw me looking at it. She laughed and told me that this plan wasn't hers, she had found it on someone's table and she was going to change it for the better. She snatched the plan up and stalked off. She had it in for me since that day, but I had no idea. One day Dahlia came to my house without Viola, as Viola had to stay at college for extra revision. We talked for a bit then she offered to make me tea. I heard the front door open, and Dahlia and Viola were talking. I heard the phrases 'No sugar' and 'Who cares'. Then I heard raised voices and a struggle. Dahlia and Viola were fighting over a pot of supposed sugar. Viola shouted at Dahlia. She had said 'Don't you dare poison my granddad!' Viola won the fight, grabbed the poison container and shoved Dahlia outside. That was the last I saw of her. I never thought that such a sweet innocent girl would turn out to be so evil." Bruto explained. I was in shock. Bruto had seen Dahlia's plans to kill me. Luckily she failed, but unluckily Doug Swallow was killed instead.

"I knew Dahlia. The sweet and innocent girl you knew was more likely than not her twin sister, Iris. Iris is sweet, polite and would never kill anybody. Iris posed as Dahlia for ages, apart from the times she would kill somebody." I said. I got back to investigating. Another thing caught my eye. A note written in red ink. I read it. It surprised me. It read:

'Dear Viola

Meet me outside Tres Bien at midnight on 25th April.

From

Get Ready'

"So that's what she meant by 'Get Ready!' It was the identity her killer gave her!" I concluded. Gumshoe looked puzzled.

"What kind of identity is that? Get Ready?" Gumshoe said, confused. To be honest, I didn't know either. Nobody that I've met before was known as Get Ready! I filed the letter into the court record. I think that's all the information and evidence I'm going to find here.

"Thank you for letting us search for clues in your house, Bruto." I thanked.

"It was no problem. Anybody who's looking for Viola's real killer can count on me for help. Here, I've got a list of Viola's acquaintances. I hope it'll be of some help. Viola's never missed someone off of here." Bruto said. I filed it into the court record. We said our farewells and exited.

"Well, that was some interesting information! I wonder if Dahlia is somehow tied in with this case…" I pondered.

"Well, we'll keep trying to find De Killer and rescue Maya. Meanwhile, keep stalling the verdict pal! Okay, I'm going to head back down to the precinct. Bye pal!" Gumshoe said, and made his way.

"Shall we get something to eat?" I asked the girls.

"BURGERS!" They chorused, but then they went silent. Pearl was silently crying and Trucy was fighting the urge to cry, though her eyes were sparkling.

"Okay, burgers were a bad idea! How about chicken and chips?" I offered quickly. They agreed, if a little quieter than normal, and we headed to the take away. I thought about our conversation with Bruto. Dahlia had been Viola's friend, and then tried to kill Bruto, because he saw her plans to kill me. I wonder if Dahlia's tied into this whole fiasco somehow. I wonder what Mia would say to that.

"Dahlia's not going to get away with this. Not on my watch." I heard Mia's voice say faintly.


	10. Chapter 10

The trial's today, and this time I'm ready! I woke Pearl and Trucy up too, and they got ready without any hassle. We called a taxi and got to court half an hour early! We made our way to the defendant's lobby where Iris was waiting.

"Hi Iris! I'm ready this time!" I assured.

"Hi Sister Iris! Sorry we couldn't be here at the last trial, we went to sleep too late! But this time we're going to help Mr. Nick help you!" Pearl said determinedly.

"Iris, we'll protect you no matter what! You can bet your bucks on it!" Trucy vowed.

"It's so nice to see you all sticking up for me. But remember this. Mystic Maya is more important than me, okay? If you have to choose between Mystic Maya and me, choose Maya." Iris said bravely. She was adamant that Maya live her life to it's fullest. It takes a lot of courage to be willing to die, especially from someone like Iris.

"So, have you found any new information?" Iris asked.

"Yes, we have. And its very interesting news. Viola had a friendship with Dahlia in college, whilst Dahlia was in a 'relationship' with me. Dahlia tried to kill Viola's grandfather, which resulted in their friendship breaking. Care to tell me any more news?" I asked. Iris sighed.

"It's true. Dahlia did befriend Viola, or rather, I did. They were brought together by their love of literature, and deadly poisons. Dahlia didn't actually care for Viola, she just wanted to find out about the poisons. But she made me do this task instead. I had to be my normal self, if a little more sweeter and innocent, whilst finding out about deadly poisons. Once, I was ill so Dahlia had to go to college herself and go to Viola's house herself. She came back in a really bad mood and plotted to kill Viola's grandfather. I liked Viola's grandfather, so I tried to stop her. She just laughed and brandished a knife. I backed away and she put the knife away. I continued to visit Viola. She was a really nice girl. Viola told me of her plans to stay at college till really late that week to revise, and it just so happened that Dahlia was going to try and poison Viola's grandfather that week. So I told her to come home early on Thursday, the day Dahlia was planning to kill him. Luckily she took my advice and caught Dahlia in the act. She severed ties with Dahlia and never saw her again, thus severing ties with _me_ and never seeing _me_ again. Sorry for hiding this information from you." Iris explained, tears forming in her eyes at the enormity of Viola's death hit her.

"It's okay Iris. Now that we know, we might be able to turn the tables and win the trial. By the way, Franziska's on our side. They're going to find Maya, and then Franziska's going to give you a not guilty verdict." I assured.

"The whip lady's our friend?" Pearl gasped.

"You could say that." I answered.

"Yay! Now we won't get whipped in court!" Pearl and Trucy cheered. I smiled. I still think the whipping would commence...

"Will the defense and the defendant please enter the courtroom!" The bailiff said. I waved to Iris and I beckoned to Pearl and Trucy to come into the courtroom. But in Pearl's place was Mia.

"Hi Phoenix and Trucy. So, shall we go?" Mia said, entering the courtroom. Trucy and me followed. The Judge banged his gavel.

"Order! Order! The trial of Iris Hawthorne will reconvene. Did you manage to find out whose blood it was?" The Judge asked Franziska. She nodded.

"The forensics team analyzed the blood and found three samples." Franziska started.

"THREE! Why, then that means that three people were there when the victim died!" The Judge said, startled.

"That is exactly what it means, Your Honour. The most abundant sample was of course, the victim's, Viola Cadaverini. The second most abundant sample was that of the defendant, Iris Hawthorne. The least amount of blood was from a man named Jake Allez." Franziska explained. The courtroom was abuzz with chatter. So there was another person at the crime scene.

"So there was another person at the crime scene. This person has a very high chance of being our killer. We just need to uncover the truth!" Mia said.

"Come on Daddy! This man must be our culprit! I wonder if he's a witness…" Trucy wondered.

"I have prepared this man as a witness." Franziska said.

"That's good to know. Right, will the witness please take the stand!" The Judge ordered. He took the stand. Jake Allez sure looked familiar…

"Witness! State your name and occupation!" Franziska demanded.

"My name's Jake Allez. I work at the motorbike shop down the road from Tres Bien." Jake stated.

"That seems fine. Okay. Witness, please testify about the night of the murder!" The Judge ordered.

"I left the shop at about 11:55. When I got near Tres Bien, I saw a woman with a pistol in her hand, aiming at Viola. I started to run, but I was too late. She shot her." Jake testified.

"That seems plausible. Mr. Wright? Your cross-examination please." The Judge said.

"Yes, Your Honour." I said.

"I left the shop at about 11:55. When I got near Tres Bien, I saw a woman with a pistol in her hand, aiming at Viola." Jake said. I cut in.

"How do you know the victim's name? I thought you were just a guy who worked at the local bike shop?" I pressed.

"Dude, it's a _motor_bike shop. I knew the girl. She frequently came to the shop to look at the motorbikes. We were on good terms, so yeah." Jake stated.

"Witness, please add this to your testimony!" The Judge ordered.

"Yeah okay." Jake agreed.

"I knew Viola. She used to come to the motorbike shop frequently enough." Jake amended.

"OBJECTION!" I yelled, and presented Viola's acquaintance list.

"Mr. Wright, what is that exactly?" The Judge asked.

"This, Your Honour, is a list of all of Viola's acquaintances." I answered.

"Elaborate, if it isn't too hard for an amateur like yourself." Franziska ordered. I nodded my head.

"This is a list of all of Viola's acquaintances. She in no doubt kept it because her protective grandfather wanted to know about her acquaintances, so that if anybody harmed Viola in any way, they would get what was coming to them. But I ask you to read the list." I said. I waited for the Judge to finish reading. A look of surprise was on his face.

"There is no Jake Allez!" The Judge exclaimed.

"Precisely. And, before you say she might have forgotten, Franziska, Bruto said that she never misses anyone out." I added.

"Mr. Wright, could you please read this list out?" The Judge asked.

"Yes, Your Honour. The list reads: Furio Tigre, Phoenix Wright, Maya Fey, Lance Armano, Godot, Dahlia Hawthorne, Get Ready." I read out. The court murmured.

"Dahlia Hawthorne…Hawthorne. That name seems strangely familiar…" The Judge pondered. Franziska looked like she knew who I was talking about, but left it to me to explain.

"Dahlia Hawthorne has been in this courtroom a number of times. She was a cold, heartless person. Dahlia appeared in this court twice as a human. The first time the defendant committed suicide, so she was safe, for the time being. But her second time in court as a witness had her found guilty of murder. She was hanged. The last time she appeared in here was when Maya channeled her. She looked exactly like Iris Hawthorne, her twin and the defendant now and then. That's why she had us fooled a brief period of time." I elaborated. The courtroom was abuzz with chatter. Dahlia Hawthorne was possibly tied in with a murder. The Judge banged his gavel.

"Order! Order! We might have to ask the defense's co-counsel to summon this woman if necessary. But could you tell us about this 'Get Ready' person?" The Judge asked.

"Get Ready could be our real killer." I said. Franziska had a smirk on her face. I know that she's on our side, but it's sometimes hard to believe.

"If you really think that this Get Ready person could be our culprit, then show me some proof! Show me proof that Get Ready met with Viola Cadaverini on that day!" Franziska ordered.

"This is the proof!" I said, whilst presenting the letter from Get Ready.

"This is a letter from Get Ready to Viola. It reads: 'Dear Viola. Meet me outside Tres Bien at midnight on 25th April. From Get Ready'. This is definitive proof that Viola met with Get Ready when she was murdered! She was told to meet Get Ready at midnight, and she was murdered at midnight, and she wrote Get Ready on her piece of paper! I shouted. Franziska looked stunned. I know that she was aiming to lose, but she still looked stunned at all the definitive proof I was showing.

"Well done Phoenix, your evidence is gradually getting Iris off the hook!" Mia complimented.

"Well, this is quite an unexpected turn of events! This Get Ready person is a more likely suspect than the defendant! But there is one slight problem." The Judge said.

"We do not know who this person's real identity is." Franziska finished.

"That is why I'm going to put this trial on recess until the day after tomorrow. In that period of time, I want the prosecution and the defense to investigate more, especially into the identity of Get Ready. Until then-are you okay, Mr. Allez?" The Judge said, looking at Jake. Jake was sweating pretty badly, and he had scars over his right eye. He looked more similar to someone I knew, but I just couldn't put my finger on _who_.

"This guy looks familiar. I'm getting a bad vibe off of him. We'd better investigate him more." Mia advised. I nodded.

"Are you okay, Mr. Allez? Anything troubling you? Anything you want to get off your chest?" I pressed.

"No, nothing! I was just worrying that Viola's killer might come after me. That's all!" Jake assured quickly. I think he's still hiding something from me.

"Well, that brings today's trial to a recess. Court is adjourned!" The Judge shouted, and banged his gavel. I went into a deep reverie. All those years ago, the first time I was put on trial for murder. My lawyer was Mia. She believed in me to no end, even though I lied to her in court. I should be thankful for that one day. If it hadn't happened, my life would be a LOT different.

"What are you thinking about Phoenix?" Mia asked.

"Oh, nothing." I dismissed.


	11. Chapter 11

The courtroom started emptying. I looked around the defense's lobby. I really was magnificent. The decor gave an aura of power and justice. I guess it's supposed to do that though. It is in a courthouse after all! Franziska strided over to me, as did Iris.

"Well done, Phoenix Wright. Though you are at an advantage as I am helping you." Franziska congratulated.

"Miss Von Karma's right, Phoenix. You did do great. Thank you for helping me out too, Mystic Mia. I've got something to tell you. Miss Von Karma, you should listen too." Iris said. Mia and I nodded, and Franziska looked alert.

"It's about that man on the witness stand. Jake Allez, was it? He was the one who threw the pistol to me. I'm certain that he's the killer. Why would anyone throw a pistol to an innocent passerby without the intent of framing them? My guess is that he killed her, and then threw the pistol to me to frame me." Iris deduced.

"That is all fine and dandy, but why weren't his fingerprints on the pistol then?" Franziska pressed.

"That's simple. In court today, Jake was wearing gloves, wasn't he? And I'm certain that he was wearing gloves on the night of the murder." Iris answered.

"But weren't his gloves fingerless gloves?" Franziska continued.

"I guess. But I'm sure he was wearing full gloves that night! Maybe he cut the fingers off, to give himself an alibi of no fingerprints." Iris persisted.

"Well, that's a possibility. We'll try to look for glove fragments at the crime scene. Well, Phoenix, Pearl and Trucy will, I'll be helping wherever possible. Hopefully there are some." Mia said.

"I didn't see him cut them off, I was too confused with the gun and the shooting." Iris said apologetically.

"It's okay, if he really did cut them off there are a number of places they could be." I said.

"Like the crime scene. Or Jake's house." Franziska suggested.

"What about his shop? Or the dustbin?" Trucy said.

"Or maybe the incinerator." Pearl said quietly. Franziska and me looked at her strangely, and with surprise. It appeared that Mia had left Pearl's body, quite unexpectedly.

"Hello Pearl. How did you know what we were talking about?" I asked curiously.

"Well, Mystic Mia wrote a note to me before she left, so I wouldn't be clueless. Anyway, when Mystic Maya was suspected of murdering the grey doctor, some of Mystic Maya's clothes were found in the incinerator. Maybe that's what he did." Pearl explained. I was astonished that she had actually remembered that little detail. I had just about forgotten about that!

"You're right, Pearl! But maybe not the incinerator, only a minority of people have them. We could check Jake's fireplace though." I said.

"I've got a question." Pearl said.

"What is it Pearl?" Franziska asked.

"What's a mo-tor-bike?" She asked.

"It's a…it's a…how do you explain a motorbike? It's like a bike, except you don't have to pedal." Iris explained.

"Ohhh, I get it! Thanks Mystic Iris!" Pearl thanked.

"You're welcome, and please, it's just Iris. I don't harbour any spiritual powers." Iris said. Pearl nodded, but she didn't look happy about it.

"Well, I shall be going now. I will investigate further into this Get Ready persona, and I shall look for the glove fragments. Farewell. May good fortune always be with you." Franziska said, and departed.

"I think that was the first, and last time Franziska will ever wish us good fortune! Okay then Iris. We'll set off to investigate as well." I said.

"Bye Sister Iris! We'll get you out of that horrible cell in no time!" Pearl said.

"Hey, you have to come out! I need to show you my magic tricks! Bye Iris!" Trucy said. We left the courthouse.

"Okay, where shall we head to first?" I asked.

"To the crime scene! Where else!" Trucy said. So we went to the crime scene. We were quite happy until my phone rang. It was from Maya, or rather, De Killer.

"Is Maya still alive?" I asked firmly. Well, as firmly as I could whilst talking to an assassin who's got my best friend held hostage and the ransom is to ruin my friend's life. So basically, not firmly at all.

"She is still alive, yes." De Killer said. I breathed out a sigh of relief. Pearl and Trucy were silent.

"But, she may not be for long. In court you sounded like you were aiming to get Iris found innocent. Were you? For if that is the case, I'm afraid you'll have to say goodbye to your friend." De Killer asked dangerously.

"No! Don't kill Maya! I wasn't trying to get Iris found innocent! Please don't kill her!" I pleaded. Hopefully De Killer didn't see through my lie. Luckily he didn't.

"Very well, Mr. Attorney. I shall not kill your friend. But in return I expect a guilty verdict for Iris. Do you understand, Mr. Attorney?" De Killer asked. I gulped.

"Yes." I whispered.

"Then I bid you good day." De Killer said, and hung up.

"Was that Mr. De Killer?" Pearl asked.

"Yep. Maya's still alive, but he's adamant that we give Iris the guilty verdict. I'd better text Gumshoe to tell him that we got another call from De Killer." I said.

"Sent it. Okay, let's continue to the crime scene." I said. So we did. When we got there I received a call from Gumshoe.

"Hey pal, I received your text. Where are you?" He asked.

"I'm at the crime scene. Why?" I asked, puzzled.

"I'm coming pal! Your phone may be of use to us! Don't shift from there!" Gumshoe cried, and hung up the phone.

"Who was that? Whoever it was, they wanted a really short conversation. They must've got the wrong number, nobody talks with you for that short amount of time!" Trucy concluded.

"It was Detective Gumshoe. And no, he contacted Phoenix Wright, so obviously he got the WRIGHT number!" I joked. Pearl and Trucy cracked up. Wow, for the first ever time that joke about my name actually made someone laugh! It felt good!

"That was a good one, Daddy! Why doesn't anybody like it? So what did Detective Gumshoe want?" Trucy asked.

"He's coming here to speak to us about the phone call from De Killer. He might be able to trace the call to De Killer's hideout." I explained.

"Yay! Mr. Scruffy detective's coming to save the day! Just like you, Mr. Nick, when you're in court!" Pearl said happily. Then I thought of something. I got out my pencil, rubber and notebook and started to draw something.

"Do you think this is what I would look like if I was a superhero?" I asked them, and showed them my drawing. I had drawn a picture of myself as 'Objection-Man!' Edgeworth was my sensible sidekick, who was alarmed at the prospect of a 'Wright Mobile'.

Pearl and Trucy laughed themselves silly. I grinned.

"The Wright Mobile! I didn't know you had such an active imagination Daddy!" Trucy laughed.

"Is Mr. Eh-ji-worth your sidekick? He looks tired!" Pearl asked in between fits of laughter. I laughed with them. I was happy that I got them in good spirits. They needed all the laughter and cheer they could get. So did I for that matter!

"I think I'll frame this! Pretty good drawing, don't you think?" I asked. Pearl and Trucy nodded enthusiastically.

"Hey pal! Thanks for not wandering off!" Gumshoe shouted. We jumped. Gumshoe was standing behind us, chuckling.

"Sorry if I scared you, pal!" Gumshoe apologized.

"It's alright. Now, shall we get on with whatever you wanted to do?" I asked.

"Right, okay. You say you got a call from De Killer?" Gumshoe clarified.

"Yes, Mr. Scruffy Detective! Maya's still safe!" Pearl cheered.

"That's good to hear! Pal, could you give me your phone please?" Gumshoe asked. I gave it to him and he started attempting to unlock it, and failing.

"How do you unlock your phone pal? It's impossible!" Gumshoe said in frustration.

"Here, it's like this!" I said, and showed him. It was very complicated. It went up, diagonal, diagonal, diagonal, diagonal, diagonal, diagonal and diagonal. Gumshoe looked stunned.

"Who on earth makes such a ridiculous pattern, pal?" Gumshoe questioned, stunned. I grinned.

"Me." I answered simply. Gumshoe looked exasperated. Usually it's me doing that face!

"Alright then, I can see I'm going to get nowhere if the phone locks. Now that it's unlocked, can I have it please, pal? Gumshoe asked. I gave it to him.

"Right, okay, so. I'm going to try and trace your call from De Killer to his hideout. I hope this will work. Let me just…" And Gumshoe was frantically working on my phone.

"Shall we look for clues whilst Gumshoe's doing that? No point in wasting time!" I said. Pearl and Trucy agreed.

"Remember Iris' claim. We've got to look for glove material. In the shape of fingers from gloves. Okay?" I clarified. They understood. We looked where the body was found, no clues there! Then I remembered that Jean Armstrong had psyche-locks!

"Guys, we've got to go back to see Jean Armstrong. He had psyche-locks and I still haven't broken them! I think I have enough ammo." I exclaimed.

"Are you sure Mr. Nick?" Pearl asked. I nodded. I told Gumshoe, and we entered Tres Bien. Maggey wasn't there this time. But Jean Armstrong was, thankfully. I never thought I'd say that.

"Bonjour monsieur! What can I get for you on zis fine day?" He asked.

"Nothing. We want to speak to you." I said.

"Ah, but I told you everything at our last meeting, non?" Jean said.

"Not quite." I replied. I presented Maya's magatama.

"Mr. Armstrong. You lied to us when you said that you have no connections with the victim. Tell me the truth. Did you know Viola Cadaverini?" I asked.

"Non, non! I knew of her only through that terrible loan service!" Jean said, looking worried.

"Well, I disagree with that. And I have proof!" I said, and presented Viola's list of acquaintances.

"This is a list of Viola's acquaintances. If you read the names on here there is your name, Jean Armstrong. Here in black and white." I stated. Jean cringed, and one of the psyche-locks broke.

Eventually he regained his composure.

"Well, monsieur, zat is not a problem. Alors, zere are lots of people with zat name, oui? Alors, Jean Armstrong is quite a common name!" Jean assured.

"Well, I have proof that the Jean Armstrong on the list is you!" I said, and presented Victor's receipts.

"These are receipts from Tres Bien. I received them from Victor Kudo. If you look at the area where the waitress is supposed to sign, it clearly says Viola Cadaverini. Is this proof enough?" I asked. Jean cringed and the last psyche-lock broke.

"Bof, I shall tell. Viola was my employee. I was reluctant to hire her, for past memories hindered my sighting of her true personality. Underneath all zat creepiness, zere was a bright young girl, who's personality flourished whilst she was working at zis restaurant. But I could not see zat. Or rather, I could but I refused to see it. I gave her ze cold shoulder, I docked her pay, and I raised Maggey's. She continued to remain loyal to Tres Bien though. I assure you, I had nothing to with killing her. I was not an accomplice, unlike last time. I wish I had been warmer towards that girl. I assume I just wanted to get revenge for when she was in the loan shark business. I assure you, I did not kill zat sweet young woman. But I can tell you right now that I did see a girl point her gun at Viola and fire, and I definitely heard someone scream. I'm sure zat the girl was ze defendant." Jean said. No psyche-locks appeared so he was being honest.

"Thank you Mr. Armstrong. I hope this information will be of use to me in court." I thanked. He nodded, and we left.

"Pal! Great news! De Killer's hiding at Rooftop Manor! That raises some suspicions though." Gumshoe said eagerly.

"Like what Gumshoe?" I asked, curious.

"Well, you know Matt Engarde, pal?" Gumshoe started. I was wary.

"Yeah…" I responded.

"Well, his twin brother lives there. They look identical. The only difference is their personality. Matt was a cruel, sadistic, evil, twisted person. Jake Engarde was a nice, pleasant, generous, caring and basically good-hearted man. But now I have my suspicions about him. I've always had them, to be honest. I just ignored them because everybody else thought the world of him. But he's been caught up in fishy things before. There was once a murder, and he was a witness. In my opinion, his facts didn't add up. But the defense, well, the defense wasn't you, pal. And the prosecutor was none other then Mr. Edgeworth! He smashed the defense. The defendant was found guilty, and Jake Engarde got off happily. I still had my doubts about him though. Now it turns out that my doubts were true. Well, at least I think they are. Do me a favour, pal, and look into this Engarde guy. I have a hunch he's connected to this case!" Gumshoe said.

"And I think I know who he is. I'll look into this matter Gumshoe. I'll bet you a million dollars." I promised.

"On second thoughts, don't look into him. I want a million bucks!" Gumshoe said jokingly.

"No can do Gumshoe!" I said. Gumshoe looked mock hurt. Gumshoe said his farewells and departed.

"Who did you think is Mr. Engarde?" Pearl asked.

"I'll let you figure that out. Trucy, you should know this. Who had hair over his eye, had fingerless gloves and wore a racing jacket?" I asked. Trucy gasped.

"Jake Allez! But his name is Jake Allez! Not Jake Engarde!" Trucy gasped.

"People can hide their identity, you know. Mia's first case had a witness who hid their identity. It was none other than Dahlia Hawthorne, pretending to be Melissa Foster. That trial ended sadly though. Mia's client committed suicide, and Dahlia Hawthorne was safe. Up until I came along and was suspected of murder!" I explained. Pearl appeared deep in thought.

"Was Mr. Engarde the Nickel Samurai?" Pearl asked.

"Matt Engarde was. I don't know what Jake Engarde does for a living though. Why?" I asked. Pearl suddenly looked very, VERY angry.

"I bet he kidnapped Mystic Maya to make us feel sad and upset because we put the Nickel Samurai in jail!" Pearl deduced furiously. Her conclusion was probably right, to a degree. I think Jake Engarde kidnapped her to get revenge. I nodded at her to show her that she was right. She seemed satisfied.

"Shall we go to Rooftop Manor now then? Detective Gumshoe gave me a slip saying I'm allowed to investigate anywhere in Rooftop Manor. So let's go!" I said, and beckoned for the girls to follow. My thoughts went to Mia again. They seem to be doing that frequently. Probably because I feel like she's the only one who can solve this. If Mia were here, things would be a LOT easier, trust me. The day, when she defended me in court was the day I had decided to become a lawyer. The day I placed my complete trust in her. Even if she did drag me to the courtroom in distress! Who can blame her though? Her last client killed himself and she hadn't taken a case for a year. I made the case hard for her though. I was refusing to tell the absolute truth, for fear of making Dahlia upset. Thankfully I saw sense and told the truth, and was cleared of all charges! Good old Mia!


	12. Chapter 12

We arrived at Rooftop Manor, and man, was it fancy! There was a massive fountain in the garden, and flowers everywhere! Iris', dahlias, bluebells, lilies and every flower you could imagine! If you didn't know the occupant of the house, you would have assumed them to be a girl. Pearl and Trucy looked awed.

"Daddy! Can I put my hands in the waterfall please? Pretty please?" Trucy asked eagerly.

"Mr. Nick! Mr. Nick! Mr. Nick! Look at all the flowers! Can I pick some? Please? Oh, and don't forget to pick some for Mystic Maya!" Pearl asked, a wide grin spread on her face. I rolled my eyes in exasperation.

"Picking someone else's flowers is rude, Pearl. Jake Engarde could become cross. Wait, there are some flowers just outside Rooftop Manor property. So, on second thoughts, you can pick some. Trucy, yes you can put your hands in the waterfall, just make sure you don't get yourself wet." I agreed. Trucy and Pearl cheered and went to do their desired thing. I thought for a bit. Maybe I could get Maya a flower. And one for Iris. And Trucy. I picked an iris for Iris, and random flowers for Maya and Trucy. They both like all kinds. These could be a celebratory present, along with a feast. Obviously I would be paying, Maya would make me. No fair. I thought of the spirit medium fondly. I wonder how she's doing in captivity. She'll be okay, she's been through this before.

"Okay, come on! We'd better investigate now." I said. Pearl and Trucy nodded happily, and we knocked on the door. Man, was his door fancy! It had a brass handle, and one of those lion knocker thingies. I don't know what they're called. I scoffed at myself. Twenty six, and don't know what those lion knocker thingies are called. Sheesh. Suddenly I was brought up from my reverie sharply by Jake Allez, or rather, Jake Engarde, answering the door.

"Hello. Welcome to Rooftop Manor. What can I do for you?" Jake greeted formally.

"Hi. I'm Phoenix Wright. You were a witness in the murder of Viola Cadaverini. You probably recognize me from the trial earlier. I'm here to investigate your house." I explained. He looked suspicious.

"What gives you that right?" He asked.

"This." I said, and showed him Gumshoe's investigation slip.

"Alright then, if you got allowance from the _authorities_." He seethed. He's definitely hiding suspicious stuff in his house. I thanked him and entered his house with Pearl and Trucy, with Jake following. The outside of his house was NOTHING compared to the inside! When we stepped inside a massive lobby greeted us. It was probably the size of my whole house, including the office! We looked around in awe. The red carpet was so soft and clean. I wish my office/home was like this manor! The office is so messy. It's cluttered with Trucy's magic props, Maya's Steel Samurai things and Pearl's random stuff. My things were neat and tidy. I guess having three childish girls in the house would lead to that though. Apollo sometimes stayed over, and he was neat and tidy. I could really use him around the office! Anyway, I really need to stop sinking into a reverie.

"Okay, if you don't mind, we'll be looking in every room, and you'll be opening all your safes for us. I hope you don't have a problem with that, because we are allowed." I said, and beckoned for Pearl and Trucy to investigate with me. I looked around curiously. I saw a big canvas with the word 'Engarde' above a picture of himself. I stashed it into evidence. There wasn't anything else really to investigate. I decided to go upstairs into his bedroom. There would probably be lots of information there. Nobody invades his private space without express permission. Except me! I entered his bedroom. Pearl and Trucy gasped in delight. Without warning they both gasped in delight and jumped on top of the bed and snuggled themselves inside. The blanket was fluffy, and the bed was layered with memory foam. Seriously, you could sink in it! I laughed, and looked around, trying not to get distracted by the duo messing around in the memory foam and fluffy blanket. Jake came in, and he had an angry look on his face.

"Get off of my bed!" He shouted fiercely. Pearl and Trucy looked scared. They quickly came off the bed and hid behind me. He continued to look livid.

"Who do you think you are, eh? Coming into my room with the intent of investigating, and then you just mess up my bed!" He shouted angrily. Pearl started crying, and Trucy looked very sad, and looked like she was about to cry. I decided to do something about it.

"Hey! Don't you dare tell them off! Who do you think you are, Engarde? Nobody tells them off except Maya and me! I'll have you know, they were investigating. There are lots of situations where someone hides important information underneath their bed. So, Trucy, Pearl, you can go back to investigating the bed." I said angrily. Pearl and Trucy looked happy once more.

"Yay! Thank you!" They chorused, and simultaneously jumped onto the bed. Jake was contemplating something. I was about to go back and investigate, but Jake blurted out something in a hurry.

"Pardon?" I asked.

"Why did you call me Engarde? I'm an Allez! Not Engarde! Where did you get that crazy idea? I'm Jake Allez, I tell you! JAKE ALLEZ!" He yelled, and one psyche-lock appeared. Hmm, I've already got one piece of implicating him as Jake Engarde. I just need some more.

"Alright. I believe you. For now." I said, and once again looked around his room. I found a safe, and I asked Jake to open it.

"No." Jake refused. I shrugged.

"Fine by me." I said. I took out my lighter and melted the safe. It needed to be done. Anything to acquit Iris and save Maya. Jake looked shocked.

"You, you can't do that! It's against the law!" He stammered.

"Well, I am allowed by the police to look into your safe. Since you didn't let me, I decided to use other means. I think Detective Gumshoe will be okay with it." I said, and started examining the contents. There were some interesting things. A letter addressed to Jake Engarde from someone known as S.D.K. I wonder who that could be. I was being sarcastic there, I think I know who it is. I turned to look at Jake. He looked worried, but didn't say anything. I also found a note. It read 'Help me kill Phoenix Wright, Dahlia." I was shocked. Jake was plotting to kill me! Oh. My. God. I can't tell Trucy or Pearl, they're too young. Maya's been kidnapped. I need to tell Edgeworth. And Gumshoe. And Franziska. And Mia. Yep, when we return to the office I'm going to ask Pearl to channel Mia. She'll be able to shed some light onto the situation.


	13. Chapter 13

It just dawned on me that I hadn't read the letter! It read:

To Mr. Engarde

I have received your letter and have decided to accept your request. Maya Fey shall be kidnapped once again, and she shall be taken to your manor. I expect you to keep your end of the bargain though. If you have forgotten your part, it is to maintain the trust between you and me. You shall not video me holding Maya Fey hostage, like your pathetic twin did. I shall keep my end of the bargain, if you keep yours. If you keep your end of the bargain, I shall keep your secret. If you fail to keep up your end of the bargain, I shall tell Mr. Attorney that you killed Viola Cadaverini. I trust that I have made myself clear.

Regards

S.D.K

"EUREKA!" I shouted, just like Edgeworth. Everyone else stared at me. Jake looked worried, and Pearl and Trucy looked curious.

"What's so interesting that you had to shout 'EUREKA' at the top of your voice Daddy?" Trucy asked. I'm not going to tell them the reason; Jake might have more evidence in his manor.

"I just realised why my stomach was hurting! I'm hungry!" I lied on the spot. Me and my lying. We're a match made in heaven. The girls seemed satisfied with this explanation, and went back to 'investigating' the bed. Jake on the other hand, looked more suspicious. I kept up my poker face. So Jake killed Viola! That means his testimony was a whole bunch of pathetic lies! He also arranged for Shelly De Killer to kidnap Maya, to make sure I get a guilty verdict for Iris! It all makes sense now! But why did he want to kill me? I think Mia will have to shed some light on that.

"Ow! The mattress is hard here! It made me get hurt! Mr. Nick, can you take it out please?" Pearl asked, rubbing her elbow. I pulled off the mattress and what I saw didn't surprise me, yet it did. Confusing.

"It's a gun! Look, Mr. Nick! I helped you find a gun! Are you happy with me?" Pearl asked.

"Yes, Pearl. I'm very happy with you. You might have found the crucial piece of evidence regarding our case." I answered. Pearl cheered, but then her face clouded.

"Mr. Nick? Why was there a gun under Mr. Allez's mattress?" She asked worriedly.

"Don't you worry yourself over that now. Trucy, you too. I'll sort it out." I said. They agreed and went back onto the bed, a bit more tentatively than before. I looked through the evidence we found at Rooftop Manor. A picture of Jake with 'Engarde' written on it, a letter from S.D.K (probably Shelly De Killer) to Mr. Engarde, otherwise known as Jake Engarde. Plus a gun, that, more likely than not, took Viola's life. I decided to try and break his psyche-lock.

"TAKE THAT!" I shouted, and presented the magatama to Jake.

"Dude, what's that? A toy?" He smirked. I ignored the jibe and pressed onwards.

"Who are you? What is your big secret?" I pressed. He laughed mirthlessly.

"Is that supposed to be a question? Or are you that dumb? I'm Jake Allez. As for my big secret, don't have one." Jake said.

"I beg to differ on both accounts. First, let's deal with your name. I don't think your last name is Allez. I think its Engarde." I argued. He began to look tense.

"Proof. Show me proof that I am Jake Engarde. You lawyers rely on it so much." He said. I showed him his own picture.

"Why would you have a picture of yourself saying 'Engarde' on it if your name's not Engarde!" I shouted. He flinched. The psyche-lock was still intact. I think I shouted a bit too loud, Apollo's getting to me. Trucy and Pearl stared at me. They saw the magatama and smiled. Such wonderful kids.

"More proof." Jake said simply. I shrugged and presented the letter from S.D.K to him. He jumped.

"This was in your safe. It's addressed to someone called Mr. Engarde. Now why would you have a letter addressed to Mr. Engarde? And before you even THINK about it, don't say that you wrote the letter. Since when have your initials been S.D.K? I think those initials belong to a certain assassin. An assassin with a shell on his calling card. I think you had received a letter from Shelly De Killer." I deduced. Engarde jumped violently, and his fringe flew up. All his psyche-locks had been broken. Yes! Winner, player one! He suddenly grinned. I was wary. VERY wary. He lifted up his fringe to reveal lots of scars. He picked up a nearby wine glass and chuckled. I was shocked. I remember that action! Matt Engarde, the Nickel Samurai, and my first guilty client! I was freaked out then, and I'm freaked out now.

"Well done Mr. Attorney. You've figured it out. I am Jake Engarde.


	14. Chapter 14

Suddenly Pearl marched up to Jake with a massive scowl on her angelic little face. He gave a mirthless laugh.

"What's with the frown, little girl? Oh, are you angry with me? Oh, I'm so scared!" Jake taunted sarcastically. Pearl scowled even more and gave Jake the slap of death, straight in the ribs! He yelped and clutched his ribs. She did it not once, not twice, but ten times! I was mentally cheering for her! Trucy looked like she was doing the same.

"How dare you be friends with Shelly De Killer! He kills people! You big meanie! You're just like your stinky brother!" Pearl shouted ferociously, whilst she was slapping him. The sight was hilarious. Jake Engarde getting beaten up by a nine year old! Classic! Pearl finally relented and hid behind me.

"Scared now?" I asked sarcastically. He glared at me.

"I'm Jake Engarde. The girl's right, I do have a brother. A twin, to be exact. Matt Engarde. You've heard of him. Now, before you ask, I killed Viola. I wanted to kill you, but that Dahlia woman told me to kill Iris Hawthorne and frame you. That failed. So I decided to kill that Viola girl whilst Iris was close by, and frame her. I sent Viola a letter to meet me at midnight outside Tres Bien, because I knew Iris would be at the area at that time. How I knew this? That Morgan woman channeled Dahlia for me whilst Iris was still in prison. Iris had a visitor at that time. She was very small, and very fat. She had told Iris that she would cook a special meal on the fat woman's birthday, which happens to be Viola's death day. She had said that they would need ingredients, but Iris could get them on the fat woman's birthday, to let Iris relax at home first. Dahlia told me to forget killing you and kill Iris instead. Or frame her. So I decided to make a plan. I had Viola meet me outside Tres Bien." Jake explained. I found something strange. I interrupted him.

"HOLD IT! Why would you kill Viola? She wasn't even part of the equation!" I asked, puzzled. Jake chuckled. His chuckle was cold, without any passion.

"She humiliated me in Tres Bien. She broke the vase and the water spilled onto my pants. It looked like I wet them. She declared quite loudly that it looked like I had wet my pants. She dragged me to the men's bathroom and told me to clean up the spillage. When I came out everyone was laughing at me. I have a reputation to uphold. Anyway, I decided to kill three birds with one stone." He explained. It still didn't make sense! I interrupted him. AGAIN.

"Three birds?" I pressed. He sighed.

"You and your questions. This isn't a cross-examination, Mr. Attorney. Yes, three birds. Viola, Iris and you." He answered.

"How am I affected?" I asked. Pearl gasped suddenly. I had almost forgotten Pearl and Trucy were here!

"Mr. Nick! How could you? Mystic Maya has been kidnapped! That's how you're affected!" Pearl chided. I agreed quickly.

"Okay, Pearl's just clarified the three birds thing. Continue." I ordered.

"As previously said, I knew Iris would be passing Tres Bien on that day. So I waited for her, and when I could see her, I killed Viola and threw the gun into her hands. I later heard a gunshot and a scream. Now before you ask how I knew Iris would be coming at midnight, let me tell you. Hazakura is far away from here. It takes about eight hours to get from there to here. She would probably be setting off at around four in the afternoon, the fat lady had said she wanted to celebrate her birthday, and then cook the dinner. Well formulated plan, am I correct? My explanation ends here." He finished. I was stunned. Trucy and Pearl wore the same expressions as each other; stunned. But one tiny question was buzzing around my head like a very annoying fly. I looked away from Jake, like I would do when I'm not interested in what Apollo has to say. I opened my mouth slightly, and darted my eyes elsewhere. I finally spoke. My voice was careful.

"Why did you tell me all that?" I asked. I could feel the tension mounting in Jake's overly fancy bedroom. He smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. Much like Kristoph.

"Well, I figured you should die knowing the truth."

**A/N- Dun dun duuuuun! Phoenix is going to die! Read and review please. Especially review! I need the good word and the helpful hints!**


	15. Chapter 15

"WHAT?" I yelled. Jake smirked and brandished a knife. He had a maniacal smile on his face. He looked like Rena Ryuugu from Higurashi when she's insane. Obviously in male form. Hang on, why am I thinking about Higurashi? I should be thinking about how to save my life! Pearl and Trucy bravely stood in front of me. Okay, here I was, thinking about Higurashi, and Pearl and Trucy were working together to save me! I really am useless.

"Don't you dare hurt Daddy! He's done nothing wrong! If you want to hurt Daddy, you'll have to go through me!" Trucy yelled, as bravely as she could.

"Yeah! Mr. Nick won't die!" Pearl agreed. I stared at them in awe. I was taken back to fourth grade. Larry and Edgeworth were protecting me from humiliation. Now it's happening again, except that two kids are defending me from a knife!

"I guess I'll kill you girls too! Kill the whole lot of you!" Jake said maniacally. He really was sadistic. Pearl and Trucy closed their eyes, but stayed firm. I swiftly grabbed their hands and pulled them out of Jake's bedroom. Jake was in hot pursuit. I ran down the elegant hallway as fast as I could with Pearl and Trucy in tow.

"Aaah!" Trucy yelped, as she fell harshly on the slippery laminated floor. I silently cursed the floor. I quickly pulled Trucy up and kept on running. Jake caught up with us and backed us into a corner. There was a picture of Jake on one side of the corner, and a slogan on the other side. It said 'Kill the riff-raff.' Nice corner to get killed in. Not. I clutched Pearl and Trucy whilst Jake closed in. I looked around desperately for an opening. I saw one, and waited for the right time to escape.

"Bye bye!" Jake said, a twisted smile plastered on his face.

"Not!" I yelled, and pulled Trucy and Pearl out of there, and we ran for our lives. Jake's knife tore through his picture of himself viciously. There was a double door entrance at the end of the hallway, and Jake looked like he was slowing down. I legged it to the doors, and, just as Jake slipped, we crept into the unknown room. I found an iron bar and barred the doors so Jake couldn't get in. Now wasn't the time for questions as to why there was an iron bar. We panted, and hugged in the dark room.

"Let's just stay in here. We'll see if we can find a window, and we'll break it and escape!" I proposed. Suddenly I heard a weak voice.

"Nick? Is that, you?" The voice asked. I registered the voice, and it suddenly clicked.

**A/N- Sorry for such a short chapter. I was going to elongate it, but decided to leave that for the next chapter. Thank you for the reviews, I do try to put the tips into play. Sorry if it doesn't work out that well. Anyway, who do you think the voice could belong to? Reviews are very much welcome! By the way, got something awesome to tell. We had to create a newspaper on the death of Julius Caesar. I used microsoft publisher and chose this newspaper style. On the back it had the business name. Now, before you go thinking I wrote this, I didn't. It clearly said 'Wright and co'. I got all excited and told my friends that even the computer thinks Phoenix Wright is awesome! **


	16. Chapter 16

"Maya! Yeah, it's me! Where are you? Are you tied up? Are you okay? Are you hungry?" I asked, worried. I searched for the place where her voice was coming. It was pitch black, the exact colour of Maya's hair. Maya groaned exasperatedly.

"Nick. Where am I? Turn on the light. It's next to the door. Am I tied up? Yes. Am I okay? No, I'm hungry." Maya said. Wow, she's calm. I fumbled around for the switch. I pressed it and the lights came on. We were stuck in a pretty cool room. It had a TV, an XBOX, and a CD player. Maya had loads of sweet wrappers next to her. She was tied up next to the TV, which I guess is pretty handy. She can just switch it on from there!

"MYSTIC MAYA!" Pearl cheered, and ran up joyfully to the spirit medium. Maya laughed and accepted the hug.

"MAYA!" Trucy yelled happily, and joined in the hug.

"Nick? You coming?" Maya asked. I contemplated it.

"Nah, you don't want me!" I said.

"Yes we do!" The girls chorused.

"Alright then." I agreed, and hugged them all. We stayed like that for about, hmmm, shall we say, five minutes?

"Maya, you're tied up! How can we get you out?" Trucy asked, concerned.

"Aha! Look! A knife!" Pearl said, pleased at her find.

"Oh yeah, Shelly De Killer left it there. He's gone out to get food. He'll be back in exactly thirty minutes." Maya said. I nodded, and set to cut the ropes tying her to this forsaken house. I cut the last one and she wriggled free.

"Thanks Nick. Now, I think we need to break out. But, before that, do you have your cell phone Nick?" Maya asked. I nodded.

"Great. Phone Gumshoe, and tell him that you've found me. You're planning to break out. Shelly De Killer will be back in exactly thirty minutes, so bring the police to Rooftop Manor in thirty minutes. We'll have escaped by then. We'll go to Edgeworth's house." Maya formulated cleverly.

"When, exactly, did you make this plan?" I asked, whilst dialing Gumshoe's number.

"As soon as I was taken into captivity." Maya answered simply. For a girl who doesn't know the difference between a ladder and a stepladder, she can make a pretty good plan.

"Hey, Phoenix. What's up pal?" Gumshoe asked.

"Jake Engarde attempted to kill Trucy, Pearl and myself. We've found Maya. Shelly De Killer will be back in thirty minutes exactly. That's when you need to bring the police force. We'll break out, and go to Edgeworth's house." I repeated Maya's plan.

"Okay pal. Sounds like a good plan. I'll tell the Chief, and I'll record this call for proof." Gumshoe replied importantly.

"Thanks!" I said gratefully.

"No problem, pal." Gumshoe said, and hung up. I put my phone in my pocket, and grabbed another iron bar.

"Mr. Nick? What are you doing?" Pearl asked. I walked up to the window, and brought my arms back. I swung the bar forward, and shattered the window. I looked down. It wasn't that high. Luckily, we were on the first floor.

"Great Nick! But how are we supposed to get down?" Maya asked. There were some cushions stacked up in the corner. I grabbed them all and chucked them down, along with a mattress in that same corner. I jumped out of the window.

"I BELIEVE I CAN FLY!" I yelled, to get rid of the fear that I was going to die. I landed with a soft thump. It was actually kind of fun.

"Hey! You can't have all the fun!" Maya yelled, and jumped down. I looked up, and Maya was falling fast. She landed on top of me. It hurt!

"Hey! There is something called waiting!" I yelled in mock annoyance.

"Never heard of it." Maya said flippantly, and got off me. I breathed out in relief. Thank God! I thought I would suffocate!

"AAAAAAAH!" Pearl screamed, and landed on top of Maya. Payback!

"Ow, Pearly! Never mind." Maya said, and brushed Pearl off.

"THE ULTIMATE MAGIC TRICK!" Trucy shouted, and landed on top of me. At least she was lighter than Maya!

"Sorry Daddy!" Trucy apologized, and got off me.

"Now for our ultimate escape!" I said. I held Trucy's hand, Maya held Pearl's, and we ran like Sonic all the way to Edgeworth's house. I knocked on the door frantically.

"Hello Wright. Pearl. Trucy. Miss Fey. Wait, MISS FEY?" Edgeworth yelled.

"Hey!" Maya grinned, and made a peace sign.

**A/N- Yay they escaped! I loved writing the escaping bit. Reviews are wanted, as always! And I think it's time for a disclaimer, I don't want Capcom to sue me! I DO NOT OWN PHOENIX WRIGHT, HIGURASHI, SONIC, AND ANY OTHER THINGS THAT I HAVE MENTIONED IN HERE. Done and dusted!**


	17. Chapter 17

Edgeworth was shocked. He looked from me to Maya, then Maya to me. It was quite funny watching him. We stayed like that for five minutes. Edgeworth looked like he wasn't going to stop. I coughed pointedly. Edgeworth was brought back to his senses.

"Yes, yes. How lovely to see you Miss Fey. Come in, all of you. We can discuss this pleasant surprise over a cup of coffee." Edgeworth said, evidently flustered. He led us inside. I looked around in awe. Man, his house could rival Jake's! His hallway was fit for royalty! It's not fair, we're both lawyers! How come he gets a better wage? Hang on, when was the last time I got paid for defending someone? Let me think…My God, it was when I defended Edgeworth! And that's it! Talk about taking advantage of me! No wonder I live in a tiny apartment, and it doesn't help that Maya stuffs her mouth with burgers that have been paid for with MY MONEY! Anyway, to put it simply, Edgeworth's house is fancy beyond belief. Let's face it, prosecutors earn more. Edgeworth led us into his living room. It had a marble fireplace with pictures on top. I discreetly went and had a look. There was a picture depicting Edgeworth and his parents. I felt sad for Edgeworth. His mother died in a car crash, and his father was murdered right before his eyes. The Edgeworth in the picture looked nothing like the Edgeworth today. He was happy, more relaxed. Ever since his father died, Edgeworth wasn't himself. That picture was in its rightful place, in the middle of all the pictures. Next to it was a picture of Edgeworth, Larry and myself in fourth grade. I was in the middle, with my arms around my two best friends. Larry had made a peace sign with his fingers, and Edgeworth was grinning. Ah, good times. I stepped away from the fireplace and peered around the rest of the room. The TV caught my eye. I examined it, and yelped out in surprise.

"And what, may I ask, is so yelp worthy about my TV?" Edgeworth asked, one of his eyebrows raised.

"YOU'VE GOT A 72 INCH PLASMA TV! A WHOPPING 72-INCH!" I yelled in awe. Edgeworth shrugged his shoulders and shook his head.

"It's perfectly normal. For a prosecutor." Edgeworth said smugly. I mimicked him. He walked out of the room and into the kitchen. I heard him mutter 'Childish as always.' Just like him to say that! He returned quite quickly with three cups of coffee and two glasses of chocolate milkshake. I took it gratefully, and took a sip.

"Tastes like Godot blend no. 102!" I commented.

"So. Tell me how you got Maya safe." Edgeworth ordered. So I told him about tracing De Killer's call to Rooftop Manor, investigating Jake's house, Jake telling me the truth before he attempted to kill me, Trucy and Pearls protecting me, stumbling upon Maya's captivity room, Maya's well formulated plan, my call to Gumshoe, the police force surrounding Rooftop Manor, breaking out and running to Edgeworth's house. I especially focused on Trucy and Pearls protecting me. It was extremely brave of them. Edgeworth nodded approvingly.

"You know, Trucy and Pearl remind me a lot of you, Wright. Anyway, very good plan Miss Fey. I presume Detective Gumshoe and the police will have arrived at Rooftop Manor by now. I shall ring the good detective to check on his progress, and I shall raise his salary. He deserves as much." Edgeworth said, and dialed Gumshoe's number. Gumshoe was evidently speaking, as Edgeworth was responding. He hung up. I was eagerly waiting for news.

"The police have Rooftop Manor surrounded. Jake and De Killer have been found and arrested. I suggest you give in the evidence you found to the police. Franziska won't use it against you, she knows the situation. Hopefully the Judge shall give a not guilty verdict. I advise you stay with me at all times for safety. You all can take the guest room." Edgeworth offered kindly. I agreed, and went to check out the room. It was very big, with a walk in wardrobe and a bookshelf stuffed to the brim with law books. But there was only one bed! Apparently the look of confusion was etched onto my face, because Edgeworth asked me what was wrong.

"There's only one bed!" I said. Edgeworth chuckled.

"Well, you're all going to have to squeeze in that bed, because I don't have any more." Edgeworth explained. I shook my head violently.

"No no no no no no no no no no no! Trucy's fine, she's my daughter! But not Pearls or Maya!" I protested. Edgeworth sighed.

"Your protection is more important than your personal wants, Wright. You are sleeping there." Edgeworth said firmly. I groaned. I walked out of the room in distress, and saw a door. I wonder if there's another bed in there. I opened the door, and was greeted by blaring music. It hurt my ears! Suddenly it stopped, and a girl came over to me. She looked a little younger than Maya.

"Hey there! Why are you in my room?" The girl asked.

"Your room? You mean…you're Edgeworth's daughter?" I yelped out in surprise. The girl laughed.

"No fear! I'm his assistant, Kay Faraday! I'm the Great Thief, the Yatagarasu! I wouldn't be Edgeworth's daughter for the world! I'd have to wear those frilly frills! Yeuch!" Kay said in disgust. I laughed. Finally, someone who agrees with me on his frills! I looked around Kay's room. How I didn't realize it was someone's room, I don't know. It had newspaper clippings of the Yatagarasu everywhere! I've got to be careful around this girl, she can steal like a pro, according to the newspapers. She had a massive walk in wardrobe too. The wallpaper was the exact same colour as the other guest room, magenta. Wow, Edgeworth is mad about magenta. Suddenly Edgeworth spoke up.

"These aren't frills, it's a triple cravat!" Edgeworth argued. Kay laughed. She's quite good fun. But, down to business.

"Can I take your bed please? I want to sleep by myself!" I pleaded. Kay laughed.

"What's wrong with the other guest bed?" She asked. I groaned.

"Maya, Pearls and Trucy are in it! I can't sleep with them!" I explained.

"Alright then! I'll sleep with them. No problem." Kay agreed. I thanked her over and over again. She laughed. Pearls yawned. I looked at my watch. Crikey, it's two o'clock in the morning!

"We should get to bed. It's two o'clock! Way too late for Trucy and Pearls." I said, and shoved Trucy and Pearls into bed. They were in the middle, and Maya and Kay crawled in sleepily. They all fell asleep instantly. The girls looked so peaceful. We hadn't slept like that for quite a while. I bid Edgeworth goodnight and sleepily trudged into Kay's bed. Oooh, memory foam! Nice. I fell asleep instantly.

**A/N- I loved writing this chapter. It was a nice homely chapter. I liked introducing Kay, she's one of my favourite characters. Reviews please!**


	18. Chapter 18

I woke up with a jolt. Kay was noisily rummaging through her cupboard.

"Not this one, or this one. Where is it?" She muttered whilst chucking half her clothes onto the floor. I looked at the pile. Her clothes were identical! I decided to point this out.

"Kay, all your clothes are the same. Why are you chucking half of them onto the floor?" I asked, getting out of bed and going up to her. She rolled her eyes.

"Jeez, it's obvious! They're all different! See! This one has no swirl on the left arm, and this one does! Do you see now, Mr. Wright? Or can I call you Phoenix? Or Nick? Oh, oh, oh! Firebird! Yeah, definitely Firebird!" Kay said. All these nicknames! What about plain old Phoenix? I think Mia's the only person who calls me Phoenix. Iris calls me Phoenix too, but only just now. She used to call me Feenie. To be honest, I don't really like that nickname. That's probably what my parents called me when I was a baby.

"Hey, Firebird? Help me find the shirt please!" Kay begged. I picked up a random shirt and chucked it at her. I can't tell the difference between the shirts for toffee! Kay looked simply delighted.

"How did you find it? This was the one I was looking for! Thanks Firebird!" Kay thanked, and sauntered off into the guest room. Huh, Firebird. Well, first time for everything, I guess. Kay's really energetic. It's like, seven o'clock, and she's bouncing around. No normal person can do that, especially if they went to sleep after two in the morning. She also thought of a name for me, even if it's one I'm not particularly fond of. I decided to get ready and keep her company. Lord knows what she does when Edgeworth's asleep. He sleeps in really late on weekends, and today is Saturday. I trudged to the toilet, and brushed my teeth using a magenta toothbrush. Kay burst in. She laughed. I spat out my toothpaste and glared at her.

"What is so funny about me brushing my teeth?" I asked her, my arms folded.

"That's Mr. Edgeworth's toothbrush, Firebird." She said matter-of-factly. I stared in horror at the toothbrush, and wiped my lips ferociously. I drank some water, and panted. Kay laughed some more, and handed me a brand new toothbrush. I thanked her, and brushed my teeth AGAIN.

"I've got more for Maya, Trucy and Pearl." Kay said. I noticed she had changed into her day clothes (which are very different to her other clothes). I shoved her out so that I could have some privacy whilst I changed my clothes. I changed into my traditional blue suit. Is there any other clothing? I got out of the bathroom and saw that Kay was in my room. Or rather, her room. I suddenly remembered what Edgeworth said yesterday. I tapped Kay on the shoulder.

"Hey, do you want to come down to the precinct with me? I need to hand some evidence in. I would take Trucy, Pearls, Maya and Edgeworth too, but they're fast asleep. Not even the end of the world could wake them.

"Okay! But don't tell them that I'm the Yatagarasu!" Kay agreed. I obliged, and we left Edgeworth's overly fancy house. Kay skipped ahead, and I walked. No way am I skipping, I've got a reputation to uphold! We made it to the precinct, both of us panting. Kay had got bored and asked for a race. I had agreed. We had drawn. I can't believe a seventeen year old had drawn with me. Embarrassing! We walked into the precinct, and I asked for Detective Gumshoe. The police officer brought Gumshoe. He looked very happy.

"Hey pal! Guess what? De Killer and Engarde are behind bars! They don't get a trial. We know that De Killer has committed numerous murders, and Jake? Well, let's say we found him with a knife in his hand screaming 'I'LL KILL YOU PHOENIX WRIGHT! YOU CAN'T HIDE FROM ME!' So, yeah. What do you want, pal? Oh, hi Kay!" Gumshoe said. He looked happy with himself. As he should be.

"Hi Gummy!" Kay responded with a wave.

"Take it you know each other. Nice one Gumshoe! Edgeworth said he'd raise your salary. Anyway, I wanted to hand in some evidence that I found. I found a letter from De Killer to Engarde, saying that Engarde killed Viola, and that he had kidnapped Maya. I also found a picture of Jake in his manor. That was useful, but I guess it isn't now. I also found a gun underneath his mattress. It looked like a nine-millimeter pistol. That's what Viola was killed with, right? Oh, and I found a note to Dahlia." I said, and handed Gumshoe the evidence. His eyes widened.

"Thanks pal! I'm certain the writing belongs to De Killer, but we'll have to do a handwriting analysis to be sure. I'll check the ballistic markings on the bullet and see if they match this gun. Let's see what the note says. Help me kill Phoenix Wright, Dahlia. Crikey! What's the meaning of this? I'll do a handwriting analysis on this too!" Gumshoe raged. I relayed the story that Jake told me to Gumshoe. He looked enraged.

"This guy deserves to burn in hell! Mark my words, we'll have Jake convicted!" He shouted. I've never seen him this angry!

"Thanks! We'll be going now! Bye!" I said, and retreated rapidly, with Kay in tow. An angry Gumshoe equals a scary Gumshoe. Kay and me walked home. No races. When I entered Edgeworth's house I was greeted by a sharp slap. I recoiled.

"Mr. Nick! How could you leave Mystic Maya and go with Kay? I though Mystic Maya was your special someone!" Pearls chided, and slapped me once more. Maya, Trucy and Kay laughed, whilst Edgeworth just smirked.

"Pearly, Nick's not my special someone. And anyway, even if he was, which he isn't, he can go with Kay somewhere!" Maya assured. Pearls was mollified. I sighed out in relief.

"I mean, Kay has her own special someone!" Maya said. Kay opened her mouth in horror.

"Who? Who said I'm their special someone? Whoever did, well, let's say they're going to get a face full of fist!" Kay said threateningly. Edgeworth smirked.

"Why, Edgeworth of course!" Maya answered with a grin. Edgeworth's smirk turned to a look of pure horror. They looked at each other in disgust. The rest of us laughed something chronic. Kay and Edgeworth nodded. Then they looked at Maya. Next thing I saw was Maya on the floor laughing her sandals off, and Edgeworth and Kay tickling her. The audience laughed. I hadn't seen this side of Edgeworth in a long time! Finally they relented, all three of them out of breath. I hadn't enjoyed myself like this in a long time.

"Hey, Edgeworth. De Killer and Jake are in jail. Gumshoe's conducting a handwriting analysis on the note to Dahlia and the letter from De Killer. He's also going to check the ballistic markings on the gun and the bullet." I informed Edgeworth. He nodded approvingly.

"I shall definitely have to raise his salary." Edgeworth said.

"Wait, what's going on?" Maya asked, confused. I filled her in on all the details. A look of understanding spread across her face.

"Ohhhhh." Maya nodded.

"Now all we have to do is hope that the Judge will give a not guilty verdict." I said to them all. The group nodded, and looked at me. I don't know why. It was quite unnerving, actually.

**A/N- I liked writing this chapter too! I love Kay, she's awesome. Another homely chapter. Reviews please, they motivate me to carry on!**


	19. Chapter 19

A cell phone started ringing. Maya clapped her hands.

"Yay, it's the Steel Samurai song! I knew you liked it Nick! You haven't changed it!" She taunted. I was confused. Of course I changed it! I changed it to Cornered! What was going on here? Suddenly it stopped.

"Hello Franziska. What do you want?" Edgeworth asked. Suddenly it dawned on me. Not that Franziska probably had some news about the trial, but that EDGEWORTH LIKES THE STEEL SAMURAI! I'm going to tease him rotten once he gets off the phone. Heh heh.

"Okay. We'll be over there in…I'll just tell you when we're close. Okay then. Bye." Edgeworth said, and hung up on Franziska. I grinned.

"What?" Edgeworth asked. I nodded to everyone, and they nodded back. I opened my mouth, as did everyone else.

"YOU LIKE THE STEEL SAMURAI!" We taunted. Edgeworth went very red in the face. He spluttered.

"W-well, K-Kay put it o-on my phone! Yeah, Kay put it on my phone!" Edgeworth defended himself. Kay rubbed underneath her nose.

"I don't like the Steel Samurai!" Kay argued. Edgeworth looked defeated.

"Franziska wants us to go to the courthouse to see the Judge. Hopefully he won't have to extend the trial." Edgeworth explained. I gasped. I remembered something!

"I've got a badge!" I shouted out. Edgeworth looked exasperated.

"I know you have an attorney's badge, Wright. I know you just recently got it back. Why are you exclaiming this now?" He asked. I shook my head violently.

"I have a badge. It's not an attorney's badge, it's an accessory badge. Except this one is a video camera also. It's on all the time. Maybe I'll be able to see Engarde on it, and hear what he said to me! Then the Judge will definitely acquit Iris without the need for another trial!" I explained. Edgeworth looked elated. He punched the air in victory.

"Score one for the samurais!" He cheered. We stared at him. Okay, Edgeworth really is a massive Steel Samurai fan. He realized that we were staring at him, and he bypassed pink, sorry, _magenta_, and turned red. We laughed and exited Edgeworth's house of magenta. The kids skipped ahead, and when I say kids, I mean Maya and Kay. Only. I had a question buzzing around my head that I had to ask Edgeworth. I'd die otherwise. Metaphorically of course.

"Hey, Edgeworth. How did Kay come to be your assistant?" I asked curiously. Edgeworth rolled his eyes.

"Kay. Let's just say…I didn't appoint her. She appointed herself. I was tied up in Gatewater Land and she set me free. When we got out she self appointed herself as my assistant. Gumshoe was devastated." Edgeworth explained. I looked at the self appointed assistant. She was currently arguing with Maya about which was better: the Steel Samurai or the Blue Badger. It became quite heated.

"Steel Samurai Slash!" Maya yelled furiously, and lashed out at Kay.

"Badger Get!" Kay yelled, and lashed out at Maya.

"Steel Samurai Sword Strike!" Edgeworth yelled. I was laughing so hard I received stitches. So this is what the genius prosecutor does in his spare time! I pulled out my phone, very discreetly, and videoed the whole scene. When they finally stopped, panting like there's no tomorrow, I flashed it in front of their faces. The trio stared at it in horror, and simultaneously lunged for my phone. I jumped up onto the nearest wall and stuck my tongue out. They all tried to get on the wall. Maya and Kay failed miserably, but Edgeworth managed to get on. I ran, and he chased me furiously, his coattails blowing in the wind. I looked back, and didn't stop looking back. The result? Bashing into the courthouse, and falling of the wall. Don't forget being tackled by Edgeworth, Kay and Maya. I hid my phone in my blazer and walked into the courthouse, acting like nothing had happened. Everyone else did the same, though Pearls and Trucy were having a hard time containing their laughter. I saw a familiar blue haired, whip happy prosecutor in the distance, talking to the Judge. I called out to them.

"Hey, Franziska! Your Honour!" I yelled, and waved to them. Franziska looked like she was sighing, and motioned for us to come to them. The Judge looked stern.

"Your Honour. Nice day isn't it!" I greeted. He smiled.

"Yes it is, Mr. Wright. Yes it is. Now, Miss Von Karma here has told me you have something to show me?" He asked. I nodded, and presented the evidence.

"TAKE THAT!" I yelled. Everyone looked startled. I shrugged.

"Force of habit." I said dismissively.

"Good Mr. Wright. That shows the court is very near and dear to you. Why, I carry my gavel with me everywhere I go! I even sleep with it at night! Ho ho!" The Judge said. Everyone laughed nervously.

"Anyway, what do we have here? A badge?" The Judge asked, evidently confused.

"It's a video camera. I had it with me when Engarde confessed to me. Hopefully it picked up the conversation and it shows an image." I explained. The Judge was stunned.

"I'll play it. Wait, does the courthouse have a TV and a video player?" I asked worriedly. The Judge nodded his head and led the way. When we entered the room there was a massive TV! It filled up the entire side of the wall! That's it, when I'm waiting for a trial to start, I'm waiting in here! I plugged my badge in, and grabbed the remote. We all sank onto the recliners, and put our feet up. Literally. They were those chairs where you pull the lever and a leg rest pops up. The 'movie' started.

'Daddy, I made you a present! Look!' Trucy said. I turned to her, to see this present. But she had gone bright red. I looked at the screen, and little Trucy was there, with a blue beanie in her hand, with 'Papa' written on it. A disembodied hand took it. The hand was tanned, and looked a lot like mine. Oh no.

'I'll put it on straight away! It fits perfectly! I'll put my badge on it too!' The video me said, and disembodied hands took the hat and lifted it up. The camera angle shifted. Obviously it had been attached to the hat. Everyone was laughing, while Trucy and I were red with embarrassment. I quickly skipped that part, and stopped at the important bit. An image of Jake flashed onto the screen. The Judge gasped, like he was watching a movie where the protagonist's girlfriend unexpectedly died or something.

'I'm Jake Engarde. The girl's right, I do have a brother. A twin, to be exact. Matt Engarde. You've heard of him. Now, before you ask, I killed Viola.' Video Jake announced. The Judge gasped once again, like the dead protagonist's girlfriend had been reincarnated. Seriously, why can't I come up with better scenarios? I flashed a winning smile towards the Judge. His face hardened, and expression of seriousness, which was very weird. The Judge is hardly ever serious.

"Mr. Wright, this is definitive proof. I can convict Jake Engarde now. Miss von Karma here has no objections. I have to ask you to come to the courtroom in two hours. I cannot give a not guilty verdict without the defendant being there." The Judge explained. I nodded, as did Franziska. We all got up and left the room I shall be entering again to watch Higurashi. The Judge bid his farewells and entered the courtroom. Through the crack of the door I saw him eating crisps. Typical Judge. Franziska joined us on our way to Edgeworth's house, to save time, I expect. I entered Edgeworth's house with a sigh. Soon, it would be all over.

**A/N- It will be Phoenix. It will be. I think another disclaimer is in order. I DO NOT OWN PHOENIX WRIGHT, HIGURASHI, SONIC, AND ANY OTHER THINGS I HAVE MENTIONED IN HERE. There!**


	20. Chapter 20

"Wright, Franziska, you had better get going." Edgeworth said, nodding towards the clock. It read ten to two.

"This time I'm ready. I'm wide awake, confident and happy." I said, whilst fastening my tie and pulling my jacket on. I looked around the magnificent room, and at the people that inhabited it.

"I just want to say thanks. For everything. I wouldn't have gotten this far if it wasn't for each and every one of you. Franziska, for willingly letting Iris be acquitted, and convincing the Judge to let him see our evidence." I thanked. Franziska nodded.

"Edgeworth, for letting us bunk in your house and working with Franziska to help me." I continued. Edgeworth nodded.

"Pearls, for being strong through all this, and trying to save me from Jake! You were very brave!" I complimented. Pearls beamed.

"Thanks Mr. Nick!" She thanked.

"Trucy, for being brave like Pearls, getting that information out of Victor Kudo and trying to save me from Jake, like Pearls! You know, I wouldn't be surprised if you two were sisters!" I said. Trucy looked at Pearls.

"That. Would. Be. AWESOME!" Trucy yelled happily.

"Maya, for being strong through all that you've been through, and devising a way out of that god forsaken manor!" I smiled. She winked.

"What would you expect out of the great Maya Fey? A sniveling wreck in the corner, crying her heart out?" She asked, and retched to show her point.

"Kay, for coming with me to the precinct, and for letting me have your bed." I said.

"No problem Firebird!" She said energetically.

"I've got Gumshoe to thank too. Anyway, Franziska and me had better be off! Crikey, there's only five minutes left! I can't catch a cab in that space of time!" I yelled worriedly.

"Calm yourself, Wright. We're all going to that trial, so we can go in my car." He said, and pressed a button. I stepped out of his house, and stared.

"Man. You're. Car. Is. RADICAL!" I yelled. I got in and stroked the leather. Maya, Pearls, Trucy, Kay and myself had to squash ourselves into the back, while Franziska and Edgeworth occupied the front. The mature people sat in silence, and the childish people sang 'The wheels on the bus go round and round!' Can I tell you now, that the mature people are Franziska and Edgeworth. Yep, you guessed it. I was singing that darn nursery rhyme! When we arrived at the courthouse I stopped abruptly. We all entered, Edgeworth going to the gallery, Franziska to the prosecutors lobby and the rest of us to the defendant's lobby. Iris was already there. Her face lit up.

"Mystic Maya! I'm so glad you're okay!" She said, and the nun hugged the medium. They broke apart, and Iris blushed a little.

"Hi Phoenix, Trucy and Mia!" She greeted to the rest of us. I smiled at her, and then I realized something.

"Mia?" I asked, and turned to face, what I thought was Pearls, but was actually Mia.

"Hi Phoenix. I see that Maya's here! Are you okay? Not too hungry, are you?" Mia smiled.

"SIS!" Maya cried out in joy, and the living hugged the deceased, tears forming in both girls' eyes. The rest of us looked on fondly.

"Will the defendant, the defense and his co-counsel please enter the courtroom!" The bailiff shouted.

"Way to spoil a moment. And I didn't even go into the TV room!" I pouted. The girls laughed. The Judge banged his gavel.

"Order! Order! Now, today Mr. Wright showed me some very definitive proof. Could he show it to the court please?" He asked.

"TAKE THAT!" I yelled, and presented the badge. I walked to the center of the room.

"I need the video player!" I said. A bailiff brought one. I played the video on the badge. It replayed the whole scene, showing everyone who was there, and picking up every little sound. The courtroom buzzed with noise.

"Order! Order! Order! Mr. Wright, this is very definitive proof. I see no need to continue the trial. I pronounce the defendant, Iris Hawthorne, NOT GUILTY!" He yelled. Confetti poured down from the gallery. We left the courtroom.

"Thank you Phoenix." Iris thanked.

"No problem!" I smiled.

"How about we have a celebratory feast?" Maya said. Trust her to say that.

"You did say that you'd pay for it if you won, Phoenix." Iris pointed out. I groaned. Franziska smirked.

"You just dug your own grave, Phoenix Wright." Franziska said. I facepalmed.

"Mia, help me out here!" I pleaded. Mia chuckled.

"I'll be having a chicken curry deluxe with chapattis and a deluxe chocolate cake please." Mia ordered.

"I'll have three king burgers with an extra large coke and a massive chocolate cake for pudding." Maya ordered, grinning.

"What are the Fey sisters like?" Edgeworth smiled, and shook his head.

"I'm not paying for all this! It costs too much! My wallet will be squeaky clean by the end of this!" I argued.

"Phoenix, what's the correct word?" Mia asked. Everybody was silent. I drew a breath.

"OBJECTION!" I shouted. Everybody laughed. Suddenly the Cornered theme rang out. I picked up my phone. It was Apollo.

"Hi Apollo, what's up?" I asked.

"Hey Mr. Wright. On the news it said that you got somebody acquitted. Well, I've just come back from Borginia. I was visiting Lamiroir. Anyway, so, can I come to the courthouse?" He asked tentatively.

"Yeah sure! We're going to have a celebratory feast!" I said.

"Great! See you later then!" He said, and hung up. Five minutes later he arrived.

"Hey Apollo! I forgot to mention something. You have to pay." I said. He looked shocked.

"No!" He objected.

"Nick, you have to pay." Maya stated.

"No!" I yelled.

"Fine. Then Phoenix pays for the dinner, and Apollo pays for the second dinner!" Maya said. I looked at Apollo. He nodded. We took in a sharp breath.

"OBJECTION!"

**A/N- That's it then! Truths and falsehoods is finished! I love the endings where you get to shout OBJECTION! into the mic at the end of a case. Also, have you noticed something? Phoenix called Pearl Pearls when Maya was there (when he was happy) and when Maya wasn't there, he called her Pearl (when he wasn't happy) Tell me what you think of the story! Sayonara!**


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